Rolling Storms
by Darkwalk12
Summary: The Autobots are glad the Twins are alive. But some good deeds have consequences. No one knows what the Twins are hiding, nor why the human who brought them back ran off. "Wait, let me get this straight. Those two I saw, the red and yellow ones, aren't dead? They're just...here?" She pointed at the glowing orbs beside her.
1. Part One The Lives of Friends

Author's notes: This one has been bugging me for a while so...here it is! :) Reviews appreciated. Flames will be laughed at. I do not own Transformers unfortunately, pretty sure they belong to Hasbro. However Shay is mine. In the adventure/friendship category because it is **NOT A ROMANCE**. No romance people, I can't write that kind of thing.

Warnings for language, some blood and stuff and people trying to kill each other. But that is what you expect from these kinds of stories, isn't it? I mean, giant robot aliens in a millenia old civil war and all...

Shall we start in the medbay? Interesting things happen there. Yes, we'll start in the medbay...)

* * *

Part 1. The Lives of Friends

The first thing the medic thought was that someone had spiked his energon. But the most likely people to have done that would be the Twins and it was impossible that they could have done it right now. The second was a cruel prank was being played.

An irritated female stood before him, arms crossed and pale eyes narrowed. A thin layer of sweat and dirt covered her along with a torn denim jacket and stained jeans. Her stance was set to defensive with feet firmly planted in thick leather boots and face turned upward. Tanned skin spoke of many hours spent outdoors as did callused hands. Mouse brown hair was pulled back in a ponytail, but that didn't take away from the fact that she looked like she would take on anybody coming her way, and wouldn't hesitate to go against metal giants. A scratch on her hand was freshly scabbed over and looked about half an hour old by the medic's guess. The human stood next to a container that came up to her thighs.

Cybertronian in make with metal paneling on the top and bottom, and thick glass at the sides; it was placed on the floor with care. The cylinder was taller than it was wide, making it thin enough for the human to wrap her arms around it and carry it somewhat comfortably if need be. A few scratches marred the glass, but that was irrelevant. What was important was the two sparks floating around inside.

"What..." Ratchet started with a harsh whisper, "is this?" Blue optics paled and a gray chevron tilted down as he stared. The white and red Autobot wanted to move forward; to scan the sparks for damage and bandage the human's hand, as was his habit as a medic; but couldn't move for the feeling of tension rolling through the air. He'd dealt with a lot of things in his life, but right now he didn't want to deal with anything and wasn't quite sure if he really wanted to deal with this. Faintly, at the back of his helm, alarm bells started going off and sending little shoots of hope that he quickly pushed aside. Do the job first, find out what's going on, and then hope.

"You are an Autobot?" Asked the woman bluntly, eyes daring him to say no. That broke whatever held the medic back momentarily.

He sputtered, causing Mirage and Windcharger to shift uneasily behind the human. You didn't ask Ratchet stupid things. Or there would be a risk of injury to the helm. With servos on his hips the medic bent down to return the human's glare.

"Yes. I am an Autobot. Would I be in the Autobot base or the Autobot medbay if I weren't?" He questioned with sarcasm dripping from his vocals.

She snorted, "Just checking. Had to be sure." The voice was slightly ruff and a bit low to be coming from such a thin person. One would expect a slightly higher pitch or maybe softer tone. Someone either didn't get the memo or ignored it. The ambulance would have bet on the latter.

"Mirage?" He asked. The mech shifted again before starting. Few were ever comfortable with having to explain to the Hatchet how they had ended up in ridiculous situations. The noble kept it under his normally haughty face though.

"Decepticons were sighted up by the city. Rumble and Frenzy were after this one." He gestured down that the small glaring human.

The medic sighed, pinching the bridge of his olfactory sensor and sent a quick comm link to Optimus. Undoubtedly Red Alert had already informed him about the human in the base, but he wanted to make sure the Prime would get his tailpipe down here.

Crouching down, he reached for the spark container but was waylaid by the woman. With a low growl and her lip curling, she placed herself in front of the sparks. The two glowing orbs twirled around faster, bumping gently against the walls of their confinement.

Ratchet's optics narrowed. Obviously this one didn't trust them. And it wasn't surprising if she'd been chased by those cassettes. But that didn't mean she could do whatever she wanted in _his_ medbay!

"May I," he said through gritted denta, tones strained to keep from shouting, "see them? I could just grab them if I wanted, so quite wasting my slaggin' time!" There were two sparks in one jar. That shouldn't be, he thought.

Cool eyes regarded him and promised murder or worse if they were harmed. With another rumble she moved slightly out of the way. The medic carefully picked up the container with gentle servos. The glowing blue lights still bounced around, more active then they should be. But the coloring was still bright and there was no sign of dimming. Scans would be needed to be certain.

However the girl was still agitated. Maybe girl isn't the right word. She was young, but clearly an adult. It was obvious in the way she stood and looked them all in the optic. This one didn't consider herself a child. If he had to guess, based on human anatomy, then he would have said very late teens or early twenties.

Now that he knew no one was in immediate danger, he needed to get everything straight so he could figure out what needed fixing. Tools were moved and the sparks were set on the counter away from the edge. Below the human gave a low rumble.

"What is your name?" He glanced down and then over at the scanners on the other side of the room. If he could get her up here and the needed medical equipment he could start getting all the data he needed, not to mention a bandage. It would be easier to run tests from higher up compared to the floor.

A stony face, then, "Shay."

Ratchet made a _hmph_ noise, "And how old are you?"

Now her pale blue eyes narrowed slightly, "Twenty-two."

Well then, not too young, at least for human age standards. He crouched once more and reached a servo out, holding it flat before the woman. She leaned away, openly glaring.

"It would be easier for everyone if you weren't down there. So either let me help or climb up yourself." he grouched at Shay. She looked at the open palm and then at the sparks before giving a low growl and carefully climbing into his hand. He stood slowly as the presence on his servo steadied herself and then held it close to the table so she could get off, which she promptly did with a little jump. Immediately she settled herself by the container.

Turning to the forgotten bots who had been quietly standing by the wall he ordered, "Stay in the Ark. I may call you back." He knew full well that Prowl would have them going to explain things at his office soon enough. With that dismissal he moved to grab a few items from the drawers and send another comm link, this one to his assistant, First Aid. The protectobot was heading this way anyways. Mirage and Windcharger slipped out with the latter giving a cheery wave to the human (it wasn't returned but she did tip her head in thanks for the ride).

Finished getting everything together, the medic received a call that Prime and a few others were heading toward the medbay. He pulled a crate out from under a bench and set it nearby before turning to the woman. She stood watching his every movement with her face closed off, giving away nothing. Behind her the spinning orbits of the sparks had slowed to what was slightly more normal.

"Are you injured?" He questioned taking the scanner over her and the sparks. A frown as the medic glanced over the data and concluded there were no broken bones or ruptured organs. Not that he thought there would be. However, a skeletal scan showed a couple of fractured ribs that had starting healing at least a day or so ago, to judge by the healing growth. There was nothing to do about those except prescribe bed rest. Once again Ratchet wished the humans had easier ways to heal themselves. They couldn't just open up their chests to replace or fix the broken parts. The screen lit up red in some areas, mostly around what looked like a pulled and slightly inflamed muscle near her right ankle. Funny how you couldn't see her limp when she moved.

Shay shook her head to the earlier question, "Dunno." With a serious face she rolled up the sleeves of her jacket and noted a few small cuts and bruises before checking under her shirt. It was apparently sufficient as she poked both her legs in several areas before standing upright again, "I would prefer three small bandages and some antiseptic if you have some." The woman pronounced calmly. The medic grunted an affirmative before reaching into the crate he'd pulled out. It had all their human medical supplies in it. After handing Shay what she required he watched with a critical optic to make sure they were applied right. One went to the scratch across her hand and the other to the shoulder of her right arm. The last was placed on a long shallow mark across her abdomen.

"You didn't place it right. Foreign components can still get in that wound." with a growl and careful servos Ratchet pulled the bandage off and poked it into it's right place, a scowl set into his face the entire time. Shay twitched back a little but beyond that didn't react. He was not happy. All in all, there were a number of mottled areas all over, a split lip that was barely noticeable, and an older bandage on her neck.

"Do you know you have two fractured ribs?" He questioned grumpily, "And put a new bandage on your neck!" he snapped, handing another one to her. Behind him First Aid arrived. He paused to look at the sparks, Ratchet, and then the human before settling himself on the corner chair to wait till he was needed.

The young woman gave him a flat look although she did replace the covering on her neck, "They'll heal," a blunt statement.

Barely half a minute behind the medic's assistant came Red Alert with Prowl and Optimus last. The female eyed each critically, studying them up and down before moving on to the next. Her stance shifted until she was leaning against the container slightly and crossed her arms. While the other bots came into the room the medic looked at the scans of the sparks.

He had been right. They were stable, the energy levels acceptable, and nothing stood out as odd. Ratchet did, however, purposely ignore the frequency scans. Those would tell him if these sparks were who he thought they were. But he wouldn't -_couldn't-_ get his hopes up. The professional side of him warned him not to jump ahead.

'No one is about to offline. Hear what she has to say, then hope.' he thought, staying in his medic state and not allowing himself to think about anything else. Get the job done, deal with all the emotions later.

"Ratchet?" Questioned Optimus Prime. All optics were on the two sparks in the container and the glowering human in front of them. The medic sighed and pulled up a chair.

"Neither the sparks nor the human are in critical condition. Everything appears stable."

The Prime walked toward the human as Prowl set himself against the wall. Red Alert scowled and plopped himself onto an empty table, all the while giving the woman a suspicious look. When he was only a couple of feet away, Optimus tilted his head to get a better look before speaking in a calm deep rumble.

"Hello."


	2. Chapter 2

"Hello" Optimus greeted the woman politely.

"Hi," No 'nice to meet you'. Just a 'hi'.

"I am Optimus Prime."

"I know," the woman's face betrayed nothing but a slight caution toward everyone in the room. She continued, "Shall I start at the beginning or cut to the chase?"

Even with the mask covering the lower half of his face the tall bot seemed to be smiling slightly, "How about we cut to the chase first and then go to the beginning?" he questioned.

She nodded as Ratchet sat down in one on the chairs. Optimus grabbed one as well, while Shay settled herself cross-legged. Once all were settled except Prowl, who remained silent by the wall, the woman began.

"I was told to bring these here. That's the basics." A chin lifted, "I am supposed to keep them safe and return them to the Autobots."

Now the tactician spoke, cool optics regarding Shay, "And who told you to do that?"

Lips turned into a thin line as she frowned, blue eyes dulling, "I don't know his name."

"Perhaps we should go to the beginning now." Interred the Prime. Sitting relaxed in his chair he gave off the image of vast patience.

Shay was silent for a few second as she chewed her lip before starting, "Uh, well, it was Wednesday...it's Tuesday now?" A look around the room for affirmation, "It was Wednesday and it was raining pretty hard so I thought it was thunder at first but then I realized it was shouting and the ground kept shaking just a little." Her words came out a bit rushed as if she wasn't quite sure how to explain things.

"Wait," Prowl held up a servo to pause her story, "Can you give us a context? Where you were, why you were there and such."

Blue eyes blinked, "Hmm, right, sorry. Um, I was on my way back from getting bread and some stuff in town when the storm rolled in. My house is maybe three miles away and I was on my bike so I wasn't that far, but I got soaked pretty quick and it was kinda chilly..." The door of the medbay slipped open and silently Jazz and Ironhide came in, joining Prowl and listening.

Shay's eyes were no longer focused on them, but on her memories, "I was pretty close, only another fifteen minutes to ride when I heard the shouting. At first I thought it was just the thunder but then there were quivers going through the ground, and I really wasn't sure _what_ was going on."

The frown deepened, fingers locked together in pale lines. It seemed she'd partially forgotten who her audience was because the tension left her stature, leaving only hard thoughtfulness and something sadder.

"The sky was really dark and I couldn't see anything, so I got off my bike and headed towards Marnie's fields because that's were it sounded like everything was coming from. Anyways the land's a bit lower there, half of it's kinda shaped like a bowl."

"You went to go check out who was shouting, in the middle of a rainstorm?" Queried Ratchet with disbelief.

She blinked and then glared, "You expect me to have just ignored that? The ground was shaking. I needed to know what was going on." The medic gave a grumble, something along the lines of '_humans..._' while Optimus signaled for her to continue.

Expression still mulish, she did, " The fields there dip down into a lower patch of land. So I went over and by then it had stopped, the shouting and ground shaking, not the rain. But I got there and..." She trailed off for a few seconds, a dead look on her face, "There were a lot of...they looked like you. Not exactly like you, but Cybertronian ya know? But they were all covered in mud and pretty busted up."

"What was their colorin'?" Jazz chimed in for the first time, accent rolling through his easy drawl.

A deep breath, "Green, most of them. A funny greenish yellow and purple, though I could be wrong. There was a lot of mud. None of them were really moving. The other two were brighter colors."

This statement garnered the attention of everyone very quickly as a sudden tension went through their frames, "Describe these two." Ordered Prowl, doorwings hitched slightly higher.

"Well, one was red and black, but mainly red an' he had a lot of mud all over him...he wasn't moving." The last part was said much more quietly, barely above a whisper. "The other one was yellow or kinda gold colored with some black. But he's the one that told me to bring these here." A gesture toward the spark container.

A dead silence throughout the room until finally the Prime spoke, "The exact words, if you could recall."

Shay stared blankly into space for a moment, completely still and then, "I went down a bit and got closer. The yellow one was still moving so I went over and asked if he needed help, because what else _could_ I do?...And he didn't say anything, just ignored me. I suppose he might not have heard me 'cause he looked pretty out of it. Anyways I told him he looked like shit and he said to shove off. Can't really be mad at him about it though..." Another pause as she gathered her thoughts, "Then he said 'You have to take this to the Autobots. Don't let the Cons catch you.' and I said 'take what?' because I had no clue what he was talking about but then he pulled that container thing out of nowhere and put it by his chest. It sorta opened up a bit and those two lights went in...And then...he wasn't moving after that." Her voice cracked just a little, face frozen into a mask with grief barely showing through.

Ratchet sat with wide optics, frozen in place while over by the wall Jazz slid down to sit on the floor. Ironhide looked like he was thinking hard. A stunned and surprised expression settled on the remaining bots. Prowl's doorwings were splayed wide, optics flickering as he thought through possibilities.

The medic stood very suddenly, causing Shay to jump a little. He moved until he was right in front of her and crouched just a bit so they were optic to eye. The young woman became tense once more and eyed him with a sudden suspicion.

"Are you saying," He started low, voice deadly soft, "that those sparks," a look towards the spinning orbs, "came out of Sunstreaker's chest?" A pause as he realized she didn't know who Sunstreaker was, "The yellow bot."

"Um..." A blink of surprise, "Yes. What does that mean?"

Optimus turned to his medic with a very serious look, "Ratchet, did you check the spark's frequencies when they were brought in?" Behind him Red Alert looked ready to declare this all a trick but shut his mouth with slumped shoulders when the white and red bot glared at him.

"Yes."

"And did they match the Twins frequencies?" There was no mistaking the seriousness in the Prime's tone.

Ratchet said nothing for a moment, "No. I thought it would be best to wait and see what she had to say first."

Optimus looked at the medic in the optics and saw that he hadn't wanted to check because he was afraid of being wrong. He was scared that it wouldn't be the Twins. He nodded to show he understood and Ratchet sighed, pulling out his spark scanner and attaching it to the holo-screen at his wrist. A square of light popped up with two charts showing jagged lines. With a slight hesitation he pulled up another two, the recorded spark signature's of the Twins. There was a collective stillness throughout the medbay and everyone waited to see what the verdict was.

Finally Ratchet looked up and spoke as calmly as he could, "They...match. These are Sunstreaker's and Sideswipe's sparks." A slight tremor went through his voice as he suddenly sat down on his chair again.

"Those two are too stubborn to die." He gave a low laugh of relief as Jazz whooped and jumped up. Optimus raised his face to the ceiling with a sigh of 'thank Primus' while Ironhide gave a rough chuckle. A resounding cheer came from all of them but mixed in was a protest from Red Alert.

"Wait! How do we know it's really them?! What if the Decepticons somehow got their hands on some other sparks and messed with their frequencies? We could be putting Decepticon sparks in the Twin's bodies!" The security director scowled at the woman who was sitting on the table confused. She looked back at him blankly.

Ironhide joined in, "He's gotta point. We sure it's them?"

"Yes, it's them." Ratchet huffed, "There is absolutely no way to fake a signature. The frequencies are not only highly complex but unique to every spark. And those frequencies can change slightly, so even if they tried to change a spark's frequency it would alter in unpredictable ways. This is them." The last part seemed to be almost involuntary, said to himself as if he couldn't believe it. And why wouldn't he have a hard time? They all thought the Twins had been dead for about a week now. To suddenly know they were okay...The medic gave another broken laugh as he checked the charts again. They were alive.

"Hey!" The human yelled to get their attention and then immediately tensed when they all looked at her, "I'm confused. What exactly are you talking about?"

A sigh from the medic, "Do you know what they are?" he gestured at the sparks.

Shay scratched her bandaged hand, brows drawn together, "They're alive. You called them sparks." She moved her undamaged hand to rest on the jar. Interestingly, the orbs glowed brighter and gravitated toward her side, spinning and twirling about. But that was common enough, they were probably just reacting to the close contact.

The gray chevron dipped down in a nod, "The sparks are a cybertronian's life-force. Since they're twins..." His lecture was interrupted.

"They're brothers? Figures." the human muttered.

Ratchet scowled, growling, "As I was saying, since they're spark twins, Sunstreaker could have put Sideswipe's spark in his chest, as his brother's body was heavily damaged. But if he was just as beat up, and he was, he may have decided to put both their sparks in a spark container for safe keeping. At least until their bodies were repaired enough to house them."

Prowl frowned, "That would have been the best plan to keep them alive."

"Huh, they actually did something smart for once." Ironhide chuckled.

"You forget that they are intelligent on a regular basis, especially when pranks are involved." replied the tactician, "They just seem to forget it with everything else."

"Wait, let me get this straight," Shay stood up and looked straight at Ratchet with an intent look that would have rivaled that of a wolf on a hunt, "Those two I saw, the red and yellow ones, aren't dead? They're just...here?" she pointed at the container, hope trying to break through the reserve on her face.

The CMO nodded, "Yes, yes. Of course, we'll have to do scans to make sure the right sparks get in the right body." Shay grinned hugely for a moment with a happy look before her expression returned to it's normal guarded self, albeit a slightly less tense version. She relaxed marginally, placing her hands in her back pockets.

"Yeah, betcha Sunn'd be real ticked if he woke up in his brother's body." Jazz snickered with obvious delight.

"Excuse me, Shay?" Prowl queried as he moved from the wall to get closer, "What happened after Sunstreaker gave you the spark container?" Serious optics regarded the human up and down once more before moving on to the sparks, gathering data and filing it away the whole time.

The human female shrugged, "One of the other ones started moving and when he got up I saw the Decepticon symbol. So I hightailed it out of there and took these guys to my house."

Prowl pinched the bridge of his olfactory sensor while Red squacked, "What! You mean if we'd been there a few minutes earlier we could have got them?! We wouldn't have thought the Twins were dead?!"

"Heeey now, we don' know how long after sheh left it was when weh got there." Broke in Ironhide, shifting to get more comfortable against the wall.

"Actually we have an approximate guess," Returned the tactician, voice dry. "If she saw one of them getting up and we got there just as Scavenger was waking Mixmaster, then the likelihood of arriving only a few minutes late is very high."

"Well, slag..." Spoke Jazz, "Think o' all the trouble saved if we'd jus' gotten there quicker."

Optimus turned to Shay and took note of the damaged and tired appearance, "Have you been trying to get here all week?" His calming baritone quieted the voices of the others.

A shrug, "Pretty much. I was alright till I hit Boise. Stupid cons." she growled, pale blue eyes narrowing in annoyance.

"I'm surprised you ran into the cassettes and got away with only bruises and cracked ribs." Called Ratchet as he pulled out more equipment.

The brown haired human snorted through her nose, "Oh, the ribs weren't from the cons. Those were some dumb-ass humans. Don't need to worry 'bout them though. They won't bother me again. And I got lucky. The cons never actually got a hold of me. They just chased me around."

Prowl looked down at the human and frowned as the medic pushed him out of the way, "We need to get their sparks back into their bodies. First Aid!" His assistant jumped to attention, all but forgotten until now, "Go bring them in here. We have to go over them and make sure everything is stable." The Protectobot nodded and started toward the door.

Optimus broke into Ratchet's order, "Everyone. Keep this quiet until they are up and moving. We don't want to get hopes up too soon. Ratchet, we'll require a status update at the officer's meeting." He stood.

They started filing out the door, although Red Alert gave the woman a suspicious look before he left. Prowl nodded almost to himself and slipped out, ready to get back to work. Jazz was all set to leave too when he caught a glance from their leader. The red and blue bot gave a nod towards Shay. As everyone but Ratchet left, the saboteur moved over to the table and sat on it, ignoring the look he got from the woman.

With a lazy smile he leaned back and started talking to the human like they were friends, "We got human-sized guest rooms if ya wantta get some sleep. Don't think the Hatchet will lettcha leave the Ark 'til he's sure yur all healed up." Servos were placed behind his head, creating the illusion that he was relaxing.

Silence and a frown answered him, but after a few seconds she spoke firmly, "I'm staying with them until they get back in their bodies. I don't care how long it takes." The TIC nodded but she continued, "I would also like some information."

At this the corner of his mouth turned up, but behind the visor optics narrowed, "Oh? Like what?" Jazz questioned amiably.

Shay shrugged, "You called the yellow one Sunstreaker, and the red one Sideswipe? Is that correct?"

"Ah," the spy relaxed, she only wanted to know about the Twins. That made sense, "Yep, that's right. Sideswipes red and a nice enough mech. Cheerful at times and down right diabolical at most." The human snorted, "Sunstreaker's a bit of an aft. He kinda avoids people and doesn't act too friendly a lot. Doesn't like humans much either. But he keeps an optic out fer everybody in battle. Both o' them do, and their real good fighters. Kinda violent."

He couldn't get much of a read from this one. The tension in her posture and curled fingers showed she still wasn't comfortable around them, yet she was forcing herself to have a conversation with him to find out what she wanted. The only emotions he could glean from her face was irritation and wariness, as pale eyes flicked from him to around the room in a continuous circle. She really didn't trust them that much. Now the question was, why was she here? He'd already gotten filled in on how she'd come here, being brought by Mirage and Windcharger. The woman could have easily given the sparks to them and left, seeing as she obviously wasn't happy being here. So why hadn't she?

This was a puzzle, something Jazz took as a challenge. Besides a slight narrowing of her eyes when the spy had called the yellow twin an aft (and others tended to use much ruder words instead), he couldn't figure out what she was thinking and the news that they were violent didn't seem to surprise her. '_What's going on in that little head of yours?_' He wondered. Whatever the case, she held herself closed off and defensive.

"Hmm. And your name?" She inquired politely.

"I," He stated with a flair, jumping up to do a spin and a bow, "am the Jazzman. You can call meh Jazz." A crooked grin accompanied this and he straightened to see the barest corner of her mouth turn up although she eyed him shrewdly.

Ratchet pushed past Jazz to move some tools, "Enough of that! Outta my medbay."

Jazz held out a servo to the woman, ready to help her down. However all he got in return was a crocodile look as she stared frostily at him and glanced once again at the container. Fingers clenched into fists and for several seconds she didn't move.

Finally she turned to study Ratchet, who was preparing two examination tables for the Twin's bodies. He didn't seem to notice. Watching the medic's movements with a predatory gaze she spoke up.

"Ratchet, I believe is your name?" Her voice flat, although there seemed to be something icy beneath.

"Yes! What?!" He was haphazardly arranging the needed equipment.

A moment of silence as she stared with a stony face, "I'm quite sure you're not going to hurt them. If however, I'm wrong, and those two get hurt because they're here...I will find a way to make sure someone gets very badly damaged, possibly losing a limb. I will not be pleasant." This was stated in a calm manner, as if one were commenting on the weather. The ambulance stopped what he was doing and looked over at her with surprise. She looked back blankly, not joking in the least. Once eye contact was established and threat delivered she turned back to Jazz. He immediately scooped her up and rushed out of the medbay as Ratchet let loose a torrent of swear words and profanities, all the while yelling about someone's intelligence and trust issues. They got through the door and it closed just as there was a clang, a tool being thrown towards them. The loud shouting and threats could still be heard through the doors.

Jazz let out a sigh of relief, "Darlin', I think yer suicidal." She didn't answer as they headed towards the guest quarters.


	3. Chapter 3

Bluestreak was chosen to try to befriend the human. The younger mech's generally cheerful attitude and friendly nature made it hard for anyone to stay angry at the sniper. Also, Jazz had failed to get anything out of the woman.

After a shower and a short nap the human had emerged from the human quarters dressed in borrowed jeans and a shirt. With her dark jacket tied around her waist and hair let loose, she immediately returned to the medbay and none of Ratchet's words could persuade her to move. The medic hadn't let the earlier threat go and his irritation took form in swear words and snappy comments.

The young praxian peered into the medbay to see Shay resting next to the container, head tilted back and eyes closed. Now that she wasn't wearing her jacket the medbay lights caused all the bruises on her arms to stand out. The woman hadn't gotten up yet and wasn't acting very social. Jazz had questioned her, trying to persuade her to talk about herself, but she said very little and remained vague. She'd refused to leave the medbay to see the rest of the Ark as well. It seemed that the plan to befriend her was failing. So now, Bluestreak was bringing her food.

Hound said offering food to humans (and animals) was a friendly gesture. So the gunner was going to give it a try, hoping she would open up a little. With a quick look at Wheeljack and Ratchet working on the other side of the room, he slipped in carrying a small (to him) paper bag in his hand. The two working bots didn't notice, speaking back and forth as they fixed damage on the Twin's unresponsive frames.

Bluestreak shuddered slightly, gray form quaking. They had all thought Sunstreaker and Sideswipe were dead, but now... Now there was a chance to get them back. He had been let in on this development when Jazz asked him to speak with Shay, but had warned him to keep it quiet until they were absolutely sure the Twins would be alright. No point in raising false hope and all. Not to say the rest of the Ark's inhabitants hadn't noticed something going on. But all the Commanding staff along with Mirage and Windcharger weren't saying anything (under orders from Optimus, not that anyone could _find_ Mirage right now).

He slunk over quietly, walking like Jazz had taught him, trying to make as little noise as possible. Apparently the young warrior needed more practice because the woman opened both eyes and looked right at him. Her arms didn't move from her lap, legs didn't twitch or head turn in the slightest. It almost seemed as if she hadn't been asleep at all. She just opened her blue eyes and seemed to stare through him. It was almost creepy but Shay didn't look that scary to him. She smelled like coconut now too, since she'd had a shower. With a frown she blinked at him.

"Hi!" He said brightly and after a second of standing awkwardly and trying to remember what to do and not do, he thrust the paper bag at her, "This is for you. Everybody figured you'd be hungry and you haven't eaten and Ratchet said for someone to make you eat food, but you didn't want to leave which makes sense. I mean you have been taking care of them and you don't really know us and probably don't trust us, so if I were you I'd probably do the same. We are a lot bigger than you, aren't we? I know I'd be freaking out if I had to go meet people who're four or five times bigger than me..." He prattled on for a few seconds before the startled woman held up a hand and raised her voice.

"Hey!"

The gray bot stopped and tilted his head slightly. With that she stood and opened the bag which was actually medium sized to her. Inside was a variety of sandwiches in plastic zip lock bags and a few bottles of water with condensation on them. They were apples tosses in there as well. She leaned over the bag, light brown strands falling in her face, and pulled out a sandwich. It was cold like the water.

Her brow furrowed slightly and then mildly cautious eyes looked up at him, "Did you raid a fridge?" The tiniest hint of disbelief snuck through her words.

Bluestreak knelt on his knees and rested elbows and servos on the table, "Yup! Well, most of that stuff was in the refrigerator because Spike and Carly and Sparkplug come by pretty often. But the apples were in this bowl that Carly calls a fruit bowl, and there's oranges at the bottom."

Shay nodded and gave a polite smile, "Aha. And I can eat some of this then?" The bot nodded and started to speak but was once again cut off by her gesturing, "Okay. First, thank you. Second, there is absolutely no way I can eat all of this."

The gunner's door wings drooped causing the young woman's eyes to tighten just slightly, "I'm quite hungry though. I'm sure I can put away at least a few sandwiches. But it may be best to save some of this food for those other people." With that she pulled out another sandwich and an apple before sitting down cross-legged.

The response to this was the mech starting to bounce slightly as he started up again, "I didn't think of that. It's probably good not to eat all the food then. My name's Bluestreak by the way and Prowl told me your name is Shay, isn't that a funny name? I've never heard it before..." He started chatting again as the human opened one of the plastic bags and sniffed the food. After deciding it was alright the sandwich was gone in a few bites. A serious face watched him as he continued talking about anything that came to mind.

"Bluestreak!" Bellowed Ratchet from across the room. The medic had one cherry servo on his hip, partially turned to look behind him. Wheeljack didn't look up from the welder in his hands, used to the CMO's usual rants.

"Okay, sorry Ratchet. I was just talking to Shay," but the medic had already turned back to his work.

The praxian brushed it off, used to dealing with people irritated over his constant talking. With a frown he suddenly whipped his head back to the woman who had watched this interaction with an odd look on her face, "I'm sorry. I've been talking a lot and you haven't and that's not really fair. Everyone in the Ark knows to interrupt me when I do that but you don't. So I'm sorry. You talk now." Sky blue optics looked at Shay and unknowingly gave his infamous 'puppy dog' look. It wasn't really his fault. But the Datsun was upset, and and an upset Bluestreak meant a pathetic looking Bluestreak. So the spark's guardian got treated to a world class 'I'm guilty and I'm sorry, please forgive me' look.

The apple paused halfway raised to her mouth and she blinked twice before speaking, "Aaahhhh...What is it we're talking about?"

Bluestreak cheered up, "Oh! Do you have siblings?"

"Um...no. I'm an only child," She frowned, still on autopilot as she recovered from the puppy eyes, "Do you have siblings?" She questioned. This bot reminded her of a hyperactive kid.

"Nah, not technically. But Prowl looks out for me, so he's sorta like an older brother. And everybody in the Ark is like family. Well, most everybody. Not everyone gets along." He mulled over that for a second. "What about parents? Everyone has those, right?"

A frown, "I just have my dad." The young woman could tell he'd been sent in her to get information, but this Bluestreak person seemed alright. He had a certain sort of innocence about him. He was asking because he really wanted to know and was curious. Shay decided this one was okay.

"Oh, no mother than?" He looked slightly forlorn, trying not to poke at a delicate subject.

The woman shrugged, "Nah."

He mulled over that for a second as she continued to pull sandwiches out, "So...are you going to go back then, to your dad? Once the Twins wake up?"

Silence as she paused, blue eyes dulling a bit. The question hadn't surprised her, no. She just hadn't really thought about it yet.

"Yeah."

* * *

The meeting was called with quick efficiency. Prowl had spent the last several hours gathering the necessary information and compiling data, so now they could get on to business. It was just a matter of everyone actually showing up_on time_.

The commanding officers filed into the room. Optimus Prime of course, followed by Ironhide the weapon specialist, Red Alert the Security director, and Ratchet. A few moments after the appointed meeting time Jazz waltzed in with a smug smile and self-satisfied walk. Once everyone had settled and Prime called the meeting to order, Prowl started.

"Everyone is up to date on the situation with Shay and the Twins, correct?" A pause as there was a collective nod, "First on the list, the Twin's frames." The SIC turned to the medic.

Ratchet sighed, red servos placed in front of him on the table, "Wheeljack, First Aid and I have made enough repairs for the frames to be stable. We could technically put their sparks back now but I'm highly recommending we wait. It would be an easier transition for them if we finished all repairs first. With a smaller amount of damage there is less a chance of unstable energy waves or spark collapse."

Prime nodded, "And how long will it take to complete the rest of the repairs?"

A thoughtful silence before the CMO replied, "At least another day. Twenty-four to thirty hours."

"Another day?" Questioned Red Alert, "It doesn't usually take you that long. And you've already started on the repairs."

"They had the energon beat out of them!" Snapped Ratchet, "Do you know how much damage it took to actually take them down!? This is Sunstreaker and Sideswipe we're talking about!"

"I'ma guessin' a lot," Jazz put in, feet crossed and stuck up on the table. Prowl slapped them down without even looking over. The saboteur pouted.

"You can bet it was a lot! Their frames are meant to take a lot of damage. They get busted to slag and still walk into my medbay on their own! To actually almost kill them...It's not just patching up and fixing dents. Interfuel lines need completely replaced, along with several motorary function chips that I'll need Perceptor's help with, joint relays have to be rewelded into place and countless other problems. Frankly, the fact that they went against a combiner by themselves and didn't get completely ripped apart surprises me. We're lucky we found Sideswipe's leg." Growled the medic.

"I suspect it would take longer had you not already started repairs as soon as we brought back their bodies." Prowl spoke quietly, cool optics looking at his data pad.

A few surprised optics looked at each other while Ratchet huffed, "It is a habit. I've put them back together enough, I just couldn't leave them damaged." He gave the tactician a slightly irritated look.

Optimus nodded, "Then they will be returned to their frames soon. What is next?" The tall bot turned his helm toward his second in command.

"The human female, Shay. I have found some information in the last few hours. Jazz was slightly successful as well."

Said bot smirked again, "She's talkin' with Blue right now. Nobody can stay mad at that kid."

"That one dahn't like us too much Prahm." Rumbled Ironhide, shifting a little and making his chair creak.

The medic turned to look at the weapon specialist next to him and snorted, "She was chased by cassettes. What do you expect?"

Optimus held up a servo for silence and returned his gaze to Prowl. The black and white tactician ignored the arguments from his comrades and stood to hook a data pad up to the terminal. Light appeared in the air above the table. Images and text floated on the holoscreen, the largest picture showing the woman in an image most likely taken from her license. She wasn't smiling.

"Shay Brenna Carpenter. Age twenty-two. Residence in Jade Creek, Iowa. Mother dead. Father works as a part time farmer and at a local bank as a teller. Shay herself is employed at a local pawn shop but has worked part-time for a number of jobs around town. She is not enrolled in college. Both live together a few miles from the town. Ms. Carpenter is currently missing and the law is out looking for her." Red Alert twitched, about to say something but Prowl pulled up more data and continued.

"Her father reported her missing last week on Thursday after she couldn't be found the day before. The police consensus is that she left on her own motivation as her father's vehicle, a navy blue chevrolet silverado, was gone as well."

Up came a police report next to an image of a small house by a road and some fields. A barn and garden could be seen off to the right with a number of trees stretching across the background. The picture below that had Shay sitting in what was most likely a restaurant with friends. Two women and a man were with her, one woman and the man obviously laughing. The other female had her eyes sent upward, probably rolling them in exasperation as she put up with the others. Shay herself was only partially turned toward the camera. Settled on a stool with arms leaned forward, one was up to rest against her face as a pillar, supporting her weight against the counter. Her expression could be called mildly surprised and irritated. The one eye they could see was narrowed and seemed to emit a cold feeling toward whoever had taken the unexpected photo.

"It was noted in the report that Ms. Carpenter is mildly antisocial. Her contact with other people is usually limited to co-workers at her varying odd jobs and her father. She doesn't go with friends to town often. Her behavior is often said to be quiet, cold, unresponsive toward others and those around her as well as temperamental at times. Not associated with any groups or clubs, no volunteer work, no social media online, and doesn't have any online accounts besides those for legal purposes."

"So...very antisocial." Offered Red finally.

Prime rested his chin on his palm, "It would seem her current behavior is not so much to our presence then, but what is normal behavior for her."

The TIC frowned, visor tilted, "I don't know if it's completely normal, though she seemed a mite more defensive earlier than she is now, talking with Bluestreak."

Prowl's door wings gave the slightest twitch, pulling up a video, "I searched for any video evidence related to the vehicle type and design which she was supposed to have been driving. This was recorded roughly a day and a half ago in Riverton, two states over. Ten forty-nine p.m., from a camera at the corner of a bakery." On screen, in a grainy colorless frame, was a parking lot with a dark pickup truck sitting close by. It was late, the sky behind a hazy sort of gray due to the parking lot lights. A human with long, gray looking hair, wearing the same leather boots but a different jacket, walked up and unlocked the driver door. She put in a small grocery bag and rummaged around inside before climbing out again. Turned around you could see it was Shay, albeit the quality of the video was fuzzy. Carrying a different bag, this one paper, she approached the sidewalk closer to the security device and tossing her item in the trash can. Another turn and she retreated to her vehicle.

Just as she was getting back in some men came up. Although it could be reasoned that they weren't quite men. They were young, most likely not much older than Shay herself, and one in particular looked no more than a teenager who hadn't quite hit his twenties. One had a ball cap on and he gestured toward her truck. The woman stood stock still in front of the open driver's side door, the light inside giving the edges of her head a haloed effect. The face would have been completely in shadow, had the other lights around not picked up on her features. It was hard to tell her expression from the video. They just weren't close enough.

Finally her lips moved a little, speaking. The men laughed, the youngest with his arms around his midsection as the other tossed his head back with his mouth open. The apparent leader with the hat waved a dismissive hand in her direction. Still she didn't move. He started speaking again, arms spread wide as he gestured to gain her attention. To the side the younger one crept closer around Shay to the open door. She suddenly threw out a fist his way as he fell over onto his back to escape being punched. The other two moved forward, one tried to grab her arms while the last landed a blow to her midsection. In the conference room Ironhide let out a quiet rumble.

Back on screen, the fight progressed. Obviously none of them were professionally trained, however the men looked like they'd done this a time or two and Shay was giving it everything she had. The woman thrashed, smashing a foot in one of their guts, headbutting the other. The youngest looking one got up and leaned into the truck, trying to grab something.

The woman went nuts. She grabbed one of the men who was trying to hold her and with a heave, threw him to the side at least a couple of feet. The other one got his head grabbed on either side as she jerked him down while bringing her knee up to his face. He slumped over and didn't move.

She stalked to the side of the youngest. With both hands, she dragged him out of her vehicle and shoved him to the ground. The teen tried to get up but a kick to the face crushed his resistance. Shay gave another kick (this one to the ribs) and then took to pummeling his face as she sat on him to stop him from escaping. The woman wasn't kidding around and quite obviously, by the force of her fists, in a rage.

The first man downed, the one who'd been thrown back, got up and tried to pull up their leader. Both took one look at the youngest getting the tar beat out of him and took off across the lot and out of the camera's view. Shay surged up, chasing them a few feet while the kid rolled over and then scampered in the opposite direction. Shay seemed to be shouting something, one hand raised in the air, both fisted. She whirled, hair flying, as she turned back to her truck.

"Pause," demanded Red Alert, leaning over the table to get a better look. Prowl obliged, stopping and rewinding a few seconds, "There." Stated the security director, "Zoom in."

The frozen image pixelated before becoming slightly clearer, "That's as much as I can do." Returned Prowl. On screen a close up of Shay's face filled the image plane. It was when she was turning, mostly facing the camera. The quality was still bad, as the edges blurred a little, but you could see her face twisted in anger. Brows drawn together, a snarl on her mouth, but what really caught the bot's attention was her eyes. In the grainy picture they appeared startlingly pale, almost glowing white in the gray-scale video.

"Hmm," rumbled Ironhide thoughtfully, "That ah reflec'ion from thah lights?"

Red Alert's optics narrowed in speculation and the lamborghini frowned, "Maybe." When nothing more was said Prowl zoomed out and started at where they had left off. The video continued, showing her checking out the inside of the vehicle. Everything must have been fine though because after a few seconds she climbed in fully and shut the door. Almost a minute passed before the truck started and pulled away.

"Due to the location of the camera and the license plate being unseen from the view, the police are not completely sure of the identities of the persons in the video, save for one man who turned up at the local hospital. He was apprehended after he had seen a nurse for a fractured jaw, cracked rib, busted nose and a number of bruises and scratches." A pause, "The one she stunned with the knee to his face."

Optimus spoke, "So the law does not know that it is Shay in the video?"

His second in command shook his head, " Without the license plate they cannot make a certain identification. This was taped a fairly large distance from where Ms. Carpenter was last officially seen. Teletran-1 was able to make the video clearer for us, the original is much more difficult to view."

Ratchet sighed, hands resting on the table, "So what do we do with her now? Send her home?"

"Ah, Ratch! Ya know she said she wasn't leavin' til the Twins were fixed. Yer just mad she threatened you." Jazz grinned smugly while the medic puffed up.

"If that little brat thinks she can threaten _me _in _my_ medbay...!" his rant was cut off as the Prime spoke up.

"Wait. She threatened Ratchet?" The poor guy looked surprised.

The TIC grinned even wider, denta showing, "Oh yeah, she told im, said, 'I trust ya to keep em safe an' all, but if they're hurt ya gonna lose a limb.' Somethin' along those lines." Jazz started cackling at the looks on every bot's face while Optimus rubbed his optics.

Prowl merely raised an optic ridge, "That is not surprising considering her evident protective nature toward them. They are vulnerable in their current state."

Optimus sighed. It had been a very long last few days. Best finish this.

"She wills stay here in the human guest quarter for now. The matter is settled," A nod to the CMO who gave a huff, "If those matters are clear and there is no outstanding objections or questions?... What is next on the list?"

A red chevron dipped as Prowl checked his data pad, "The updated security programming for the front door and Wheeljack's proposals for a few new inventions.

And the meeting continued.


	4. Chapter 4

music: Cry- Thomas Bergersen

* * *

Shay was upset, for lack of a better word. The woman was sitting with her knees drawn up to her chest as she watched the medical staff finish off the repairs. No outward sign gave a clue to her internal conflict; face bland but eyes sharp, her mouth pressed into a thin line. The only tension was in her shoulders bunching just slightly.

During the last day or so she'd spent most of her time resting and eating next to the spark container while watching the repairs take place. First Aid had come over at one point and asked if she wanted him to explain exactly what they were doing. He seemed really nice but the mechanical gibberish had been above her head so she had politely declined. The few times she had left was to either go the the bathroom or take a pillow from the guest room before returning to nap on the table. It was actually okay in the medbay. The temperature was warm enough and the smell of machinery wasn't too strong. That disinfectant scent you get in hospitals wasn't there, which was always a plus in her book. Only occasionally were there loud noises, mostly from what looked to be welding tools and a small machine that used lasers to cut up sheet metal.

She marveled at how much better the Twins looked now that their frames were almost completely fixed. The lack of mud, energon stains, and gaping holes helped, not to mention the reattachment of limbs. Only a few weld marks now told of their previous state and even those were going to disappear. The young woman watched them silently.

They were almost done. And then the Twin sparks would be returned to their frames. And after that...

_'Are you going to go back then, to your dad? Once the Twins wake up?' _Bluestreak had asked. She really should go back. She needed to call him and tell him she was okay. He was probably really worried, not to mention mad. But what if she didn't want to go back?

_What am I going to do? _Internally she mulled over and over about the situation. Shay knotted her fingers together around her knees and frowned in thought. _I don't want to go home again_. Just the thought of it made her wince. It wasn't that she was avoiding anything,...but if she went home then what? She'd go back to doing what she always did; home, work, taking care of the house. It had been nice traveling around. It had been _fun_. No having to talk to a lot of people, no one looking over her shoulder asking why she was goofing off or not being productive, getting to see new places and explore.

But she couldn't stay either. Slowly she reached out a work-roughened hand and laid it against the side of the container, not looking toward them. A warmth spread through her.

_Curiosity. Joy. Something?_

The woman felt the question and thin lips deepened the frown. They wanted to know why she was upset. Shay briefly closed her sky colored eyes before sending a reassuring feeling to them.

_It's alright__. Comfort. Warmth. _

She felt like crying. Not that she would. Shay didn't cry, at least not where people could see her. But her insides seemed to crash against the walls of her being, ripping, tearing, quivering. It hurt. Damn it. She was so good at keeping everything in, but once it started to come out there was no stopping it. A torrent would build itself up until she either buried it under control or let it pour out and stood back to see what would happen.

_I can't stay here. I can't._ A panicking feeling kept rearing it's head inside, making her feel the restraints that were holding her here. The link that kept tugging and pulling at the short woman to stay next to the sparks. It wasn't natural, it wasn't right. She wasn't supposed to be here and she kept fighting that pull, because Shay wasn't good at dealing with things that tried to restrain her. _You brought them back. They'll be okay. And what will happen when they wake up? They are fighting in the middle of a war and you have to go home. It will hurt worse if you have to say goodbye. _The whole confusing mess kept tangling itself in her thoughts. And trying to figure out what to do just kept knotting the threads. What Shay wanted to do, what was the right thing to do, what needed to be done, what was going to work.

Shay wouldn't admit it but she was also afraid. Social interactions were never her forte. Dealing with people was something she did because she had to, not because she wanted to. The thought of trying to be friendly towards all these people made her twitch. And she was afraid of what would happen once the Twins awoke. _What are they going to think? Are they going to remember this? Jazz said they didn't like humans, especially Sunstreaker. This is a mess._ She was worried about how they'd react. Opening up and trusting people wasn't in her nature. She was so used to doing everything on her own, putting that sort of control in someone else's hands...

"Just the junction clips on the elbow's and Sideswipe's done." Wheeljack was speaking to the CMO, head fins lighting up, while First Aid ran diagnostics over the yellow twin's finished frame. They had forgotten she was here and that was honestly the way she preferred it. But the engineer's statement had the effect of another dose of constricting panic winding it's way through her. She _could not_ deal with this. The best way was to leave now, before they woke. Best to let this end before it turned into a disaster. A creeping dead feeling settled in her core.

Ratchet gave a nod and looked over Wheeljack's work, "Good. One last scan to make sure we didn't miss anything and we'll start the transfer." He pulled up charts on his scanners and then sent First Aid to get the energon lines. They would need it. The medic stalked over to the table with the sparks and glared at the woman.

Shay looked back blandly, dark honey brown strands falling into her face, and moved her hand off the container. Shifting, her posture indicated the Ratchet could pick up the sparks now. He did so and then frowned down at her.

"What's wrong with you?" She looked back at him and tilted her head just a little. After a second her eyes moved to the sparks before she stood and walked to the edge of the counter. Slowly, almost robotically, she climbed down and landed on the chair set below. Another ledge and another small jump and she was on the floor. Without looking back she walked quietly out of the medbay, face never changing or looking at anyone.

The red and white medic stared after her and then huffed, 'why are some humans so weird?' Pushing that thought away he started the procedures for spark transfer. They had to be very focused on the task at hand, not worrying about some people's behavior.

* * *

She drifted past any Autobots that may have been in the halls. If there were, she didn't notice. A fog of some sort seemed to be in her head, and she reacted on autopilot.

_What are you doing?! _An internal voice in her head shrieked. But it didn't stop nor slow her steps as she ghosted toward Prime's office. Bluestreak had pointed it out to her earlier when she'd left the medbay for a run to get food. She was running. That's what she did. If the best way to deal with something was to run, than that's the way she would go. _And it's better this way. Less complicated. They'll go back to their lives and I'll go back to mine._

_You have trust issues. _Her head was fighting the growing feeling in her chest, two sides gripping each other and trying to drag the other down. _I do have trust issues_. She could deal with people being aggressive to her, could deal with giant alien robots, and even stray dogs that attacked in the middle of the night. But when it came to personal issues, she avoided them like the plague.

The static in her head blurred out all the words and without even realizing it, she had stopped before the leader's office. Standing still she paused. _I need to do this. It's the right thing to do. It will only be worse if I stay._ Not that those words affected the ball of numbness growing inside. With a deep breath she raised her fist and knocked on the big metal door. There was a dull pounding. It sounded quieter than she'd meant it to be.

"Enter" came a baritone voice, and the door split open.

Slowly walking in she found a huge desk before her, and above it she could see the Prime's head and shoulders. Tech of some unknown use sat in the corner. It wouldn't have surprised her if it was actually a filing cabinet. An odd sort of computer was hooked up to the wall on the other side of the desk. Optimus looked down at her with surprised ultra-marine optics.

"Would you like to come up?" he asked kindly, lowering a servo for her to climb on.

* * *

He had been expecting Jazz with the data links about the 'improved' blasters they had started testing last week. The Prime had been curious when he'd heard the quiet knock, as Jazz never did that. The saboteur either knocked in some sort of beat or just came in unannounced. But Optimus hadn't expected the human, maybe one of the other bots, but not her. Hadn't she been staying in the medbay almost the whole time?

"Is something a matter?" he asked aloud, studying her.

Ms. Carpenter looked haggard, like someone had just put weights on her shoulders. It seemed she didn't know where to start either. Her mouth thinned a little and brows furrowed before she started slowly.

"I...I'm leaving. Your medic is putting the Twin's back in their bodies. I need to go now." Her voice came out rough and almost monotone, as if she wasn't quite awake or all there. Optimus frowned. He'd known Ratchet had started putting their sparks back, but he'd assumed the woman had wanted to meet the Twins. He couldn't figure out what was driving Shay to leave right now. But they couldn't hold her either, it was her right to leave if she chose.

"Are you certain you don't want to stay to seem them? I know they are not some of our more friendly Autobots at times, but I think they'd like to speak with you..." She shook her head, gray-brown hair brushing against her shoulders.

"No. I need to go." Hollowed eyes drilled into his. Something very important was going on. Perhaps she was needed back at her home, or she was worried about her father.

"If you are sure," The blue and red bot finally sighed.

A sharp nod and then she seemed to pause. Tired eyes turned contemplative. Nervously she stuck her hands in her pockets.

"Actually...Can I leave a note?" A hesitant request.

"Of course." Optimus turned and pulled a piece of paper and a large pencil from a drawer. Why he would have those things in there, she didn't know or care. Handing them to Shay he asked, "Would you like me to give it to Sunstreaker and Sideswipe for you?" It was the least he could do, considering she'd brought back two of their best warriors.

The young woman gave another nod before taking the large pencil and carefully writing on the paper. It didn't seem to bother her that the Prime could read it even though he turned away to politely give her privacy. Once done, the note was folded in half and handed to Optimus.

He held it gently in his servos and looked up as Jazz waltzed in the office, "Ah, Jazz. You have those data links?"

The TIC nodded and grinned, "Here ya are. All nice an' neat thanks to Prowl. Hey there girl." His blue visor flickered as he tipped his head, a 'Jazz wink'.

She just looked at him blankly. It hadn't even surprised the woman when he'd walked in. The spy looked curiously at the paper in his leader's hand and then back at the silent human.

"Jazz, Ms. Carpenter would like to return home. Perhaps you could give her a ride..." He got cut off, something that rarely happened to him.

"The train station. If you could just drop me off there, I'll be fine." Sharp flat words.

Jazz tilted his helm, "Well sure thing. Ya got some money fer tickets?"

She nodded and he put out a servo. Shay gave a look to the note and then Prime before climbing into the spy's palm. Optimus rose, his metal chair scraping back.

"Thank you Miss Carpenter, for returning the Twins to us." He briefly bowed him helm in gratitude.

"Sure," she mumbled, "Take care of them." Shay gave off a low growl as Jazz turned to go out the door.

Optimus watched them leave and stood still for a second before passing the threshold as well. Thinking, he headed toward the medbay. The red and blue Autobot wanted to be there when the Twin's woke up. He had a note to deliver.


	5. Chapter 5

"Look at the light." An annoyed blue optic followed it to the left. Ratchet pulled back and clicked off his examination tool. "Optics appear to be functioning fine."

"Raaaaattttttccccchhhhheeettttt! I'm fine! I'd tell you if something felt wrong." whined a much younger sounding voice. Sideswipe was sitting on one of the medbay berths, where he and his brother had been staying for the last hour and a half. They had been poked and prodded and fussed over by their medic the entire time and _no one_ was filling them in on anything. The carmine red and black bot was getting antsy.

The CMO was not amused, "You two slaggers almost offlined! Now both of you shut up until I'm done!" Sunstreaker muttered something that sounded like 'I didn't say anything' while his other patient pouted and gave a pleading look to Prime who'd been there since they'd woken up.

Optimus sighed as he leaned against the wall, "Ratchet, is there any problems?" a calm question.

"No," groused the red and white medic with a scowl, "I just need to make sure we didn't miss anything."

"If their condition is sufficient then we need to speak with them."

Sunstreaker snorted with derision, "We're right here you know."

The medic's scowl deepened, "Fine, fine. Alright you two, what is the last thing you remember?"

"Fighting Devastator." An immediate reply from Sideswipe who folded his arms and leaned back, mimicking his twin's posture. His twin remained silent and still. He did not look at anyone.

"Sunstreaker?" Their leader's gaze bore into the golden warrior.

He finally looked up, albeit coldly with one blue set of optics challenging the other. Black fingers tightened slightly as they gripped the berth. Lines of tension were evident in his frame. Finally he slowly spoke with a rough growl, "Sides was hurt."

"Hmm," Ratchet looked thoughtful, "Nothing after that?"

Sunstreaker shrugged, "I think I put our spark's together." Sideswipe's gaze flicked between all of them but he himself didn't seem surprised. He must have remembered that part at least.

"Ratchet, do you know why the Twins may not recall what happened?" Optimus now questioned the medic, his gaze unreadable. It was easy to tell how he was feeling on the better days but sometimes it was hard with the face mask on. Right now his deep voice held back any clues that may have given away his thoughts. Ratchet rubbed his chin with a red servo, still thinking. Without answering, he checked a diagram and some charts on one of the monitors.

Finally he sighed, "We found some damage to their memory banks. Nothing serious but it seems the core processors stopped their memory records once the primary systems started shutting down. It means they're having trouble remembering anything that happened once they were heavily damaged. It's a common enough occurrence with heavy trauma to the cranial and chest area," the medic admitted while turning back to study his patients with a critical optic.

"So...what happened? Did you guys show up and kick con aft?" The ruby twin looked back and forth between the Prime and the medic, a slightly cheerful and crooked grin creeping up in expectancy. Said bot's glanced at each other and exchanged a look. It didn't go unnoticed.

Now Sunstreaker's optics narrowed further, "I don't remember much after I put Sideswipe's spark in my chest...but someone showed up. Someone was there for awhile." This wasn't a question, but a stated fact. His brother bobbed his helm in agreement.

Ratchet stared at him with wide optics, "You _couldn't_ have felt people around you while in the spark container. Or at least, you shouldn't remember it. Your memory banks weren't functioning once your sparks left your body..." Ideas flicked through his processor, "Are you absolutely certain you can't recall anything after moving Sideswipe's spark?" He questioned Sunstreaker, confusion evident on his faceplates.

"Wait, spark container?!" Sideswipe straightened up, "Our sparks were in a spark container?" He looked at his brother but the golden twin looked just as surprised. By now both of them were staring at their commanding officers with trepidation, postures agitated.

Optimus held up a servo, "Let us explain. Please." The red and blue Autobot added the last word to calm the frontliners. The Twins flicked optics to each other for a second before relaxing just a hint.

"When the first team got there, your frames were unresponsive. They couldn't get a spark signal from either of you." Tension suddenly lit upon them again, servos clenching and optics turning a shade paler.

Ratchet snarled baring his denta, "And the cons paid for it. They weren't moving too much after we were through." He recalled arriving at the scene and staring in horror. Ironhide and Prowl were tearing the Constructicon's apart and as soon as the others behind him arrived, they joined in.

_He stood overlooking the muddy field and below him cries of pain filled the air. Calm and collected Prowl was shooting at Mixmaster and got an opening. The tactician rushed inward, delivering a crushing strike with his fist to the already dizzy cement mixer. The decepticon fell while Ironhide roared and pummeled Hook. He caught a glance of Scavenger turning tale and fleeing the fight with a crushed arm and busted leg. The medic broke into a run and wove through the battle to get to the Twins. Above he had seen the shattered bodies, the dark optics. But he had still hoped. Even when he couldn't find the spark signals the ambulance had hoped he had been wrong. They couldn't be gone, they just couldn't. Not the Twins._

The seekers had shown up to retrieve their teammates per their lord's instructions and many an Autobot had started after them. Only his order's as CMO and with the help of Prowl did they stop the others from following their retreating enemies. Ratchet had refused to lose any other bot to the Decepticons that day. If he hadn't been so worried about his friend's lives he would have gone ahead and torn apart the cons himself. The Twins were one of his and the grief had nearly overwhelmed him.

Optimus continued, unaware of Ratchet's inner hurt, "Your frames were retrieved and brought back, but we thought you were dead. There were no sparks in your body." His voice was low and he seemed very tired all of a sudden, the anguish and gloom that had settled in their base for the past week seeping through his words. No one had been unaffected. The entire place had been eerily quieter than normal, hushed conversations and saddened looks, no music in the rec room, no brawls in the hallways, no cheerful greetings as the shifts changed. Even the dinobots were suddenly less anxious to be about and remained in their room. The only loud noise to be heard was from the training room were many vented their rage and anguish.

"What happened?" Sunstreaker hissed quietly.

"Almost two days ago a human showed up with the container that held your sparks." Ratchet huffed, once again composed and back to his normal irritated self, "Sunstreaker, do you carry a spark container on your person?"

The frontliner frowned in response before digging into his subspace pocket and coming up empty, "It's gone."

"Wait, you carry one of those? Why?" Apparently Sideswipe had not known about this.

"For emergencies," Snarled Sunny, whacking his brother's helm.

"Hey! Stop that! I am the only one allowed dealing damage in this room and I just put you both back together!" Ratchet waved a tool threateningly at them. Both settled down although Sunstreaker was still scowling. He sneakily nudged his brother with his knee. The medic's glare deepened.

The Prime tried to get the conversation back on track, "The human woman said she approached you Sunstreaker, while the both of you were injured on the battlefield. She said you had told her to bring the container to us and then you had put both of your sparks in there." He tilted his helm at the patients, watching to see if any recognition sparked in their optics. Sunstreaker's optics narrowed.

Ratchet joined in, "This was almost a week after you two took on Devastator by yourselves. It's been nine days." The red and white bot moved over to once again check the monitors that were hooked up to the Twins and make sure nothing had changed.

Both Autobots had frozen faces, not moving and not giving away any emotion. Quietly Sideswipe clicked something to his brother, turning toward him. Sunny have a harsh whistle in reply and shook his head in obvious denial, brows furrowing in anger. This was the language the Twins had come up with a while ago and they were the only ones to speak it.

"Boys..." The medic narrowed his optics and leaned forward.

Sideswipe suddenly looked up at him, the ruby mech's gaze completely focused on Ratchet, "Where'd the human go?" His brother made an angry sounding trill and a few clicks. The CMO gave a hard stare in return. They meant where in the Ark was she, right? There was absolutely no way they could know that the woman was gone.

"Shay Carpenter left earlier today when Ratchet started putting your sparks back. She left a note for the both of you." Optimus watched his warriors carefully while he straightened and handed them the folded paper. The CMO raised an optic ridge in surprise. He hadn't known about the note. Sideswipe reached out and carefully opened it. With a blank face that would have done their tactician proud he showed to Sunstreaker before folding it once again and putting it in his subspace. He stared off into space with a vacant gaze while the golden mech's optics went nearly white as pitch servos clenched their seat, making the metal creak.

The paper read:

_The Lightning Was Pretty._

_\- Shay_


	6. Part Two Gathering Wind

Part Two Gathering Wind

I want to thank everyone who has reviewed, favorited, or is following this, because that shows me people actually like the crap I write and that means a lot to me. So thank you.

On another note; we're past the beginning of the story so many chapters from here on out are going to be in Shay's point of view, just to let you know.

Music: Dark on Me - Starset

* * *

_One week before Shay arrives at the Ark_

It was raining, blast it.

It was not supposed to be raining. Or at least, not for another hour. But nooooooo, not only was water pouring from the sky but thunder rumbled through the surrounding hills and woods. In the distance I could see lightning above the treetops. Absolutely freakin' perfect.

With a sigh, I made sure the zipper on my large waterproof bag was completely closed and pulled wet strands out of my eyes. No point in trying to avoid it. I was already soaked and freezing cold. But the food was still dry and that's what mattered. Securing the bag once more to the basket on the back of the bike tilted the weight to the end, but I could still ride.

"I was going to take a shower when I got home anyways." I muttered out loud, trying to keep my balance going down the hill. Riding a bike on wet ground means you go faster, but it also means very little balance. Thankfully the ground leveled out a bit more. As long as I stayed on the pavement I would be okay. Another clap of thunder made me wobble as I stopped and tried to see my surroundings better.

A farmhouse on a hill up ahead to the left. Trees grouped in clusters down the hillside, like the forest was reaching fingers into the tamed and cut plots. On the right the land remained mostly flat with occasional copses of oaks and then sinking down. The fields were barren and empty now that it was October. Shorn and cut cornstalks were all that remained in the mud. The pearl gray skies above let loose a thicker torrent and everything was simply drizzled in a dark film. And I was only halfway home. Aurgh.

Trying to ride would only end with me falling in the mud or scraping myself on the slick blacktop. Climbing off I walked my bike and kept an eye out for deeper puddles and an ear for vehicles. But between the wind pushing branches together, rain hitting everything, and the rumblings above, I doubted I'd be able to hear a car unless it was really close anyways.

At least the rain made everything smell nice. There was that strong clear, almost sharp, scent of falling water I usually appreciated, but once the ground was soaked it gave off a musty loam smell that was always pleasant. Stepping around a branch that had blown across the road, my boots clonked heavily and sloshed muck and water away from my feet. Then the ground shook.

I froze where I was and looked around rapidly. Why was the ground shaking? We_never_got earthquakes here. I must have imagined it...

A sharp rage filled howling smashed through the skies, fighting for dominance over the thunder. I openly gaped, jumping and dropping my bike and the pack with it in surprise before whirling around and looking every which way, trying desperately to see what was causing this. Another low tremor made the dirt and deepening puddles quiver. A crash came from far to the right, where the land dipped into a half-bowl shape.

What the hell...Do I go look? What if it's dangerous...Someone could be hurt...Glancing around I found I was still the only one out in the middle of the thunderstorm. Of course, everyone else was actually smart enough not to be caught in this. With a narrowed look I flicked my eyes between my dropped bike and then back towards the fields and trees. Shouting rent the air, joining the cries and thunder.

Shit. Someone sounded pretty hurt. Damn it all.

No more stalling. I dashed across the field, sharp cornstalks cracking under my boots and mud trying to slow me down. Another roar and words I couldn't understand were bellowed, drowning out the thunder as a horrendous screech of metal on metal had me covering my ears. Holy...! What was making that sound!? A gargantuan boom echoed like the tumult above as everything shook, much worse this time. So much so that even as my arms went out to keep balance the world seemed to lose it's center and I fell to my side in the muck.

Rapidly I got up, breathing hard, but there was a relative silence. Rain still tapped, thunder rumbled ominously above, and the branches nearby clacked together. But my ears couldn't catch the sound of words or shouting. Beneath me the field was now still.

Uh-oh. I ran forward again. Bad idea. You're going to get yourself killed. Shut up. Someone could be hurt. You can't just_ignore_this! You have to see what happened! Reaching the end of the field I looked down to slope. A favorite of the children in winter, it was now a trap to cause broken legs. Mud, rock and rain slid down in rivers. At the bottom, (roughly two football fields length), was metal. Lots of metal.

At first my mind stalled, trying to understand what I was seeing. There appeared to be giant metal forms covered in mud and different colored fluids. Cracked glass panes showed between twisted and ragged metal shapes. Sparks hissed from cut wires and guttered out in the rain. After a few seconds of openly staring I realized that they were bodies. A head set against shoulders, a hand, there a leg unattached to anything. Giant metal bodies. Holy freakin' shit.

They slumped unmoving, strewn across the field. Most appeared to be purple and an odd green color with a hint of yellow. Nearest to me was a red and black one who lay against the slope. On the shoulder a red symbol in the shape of a face was visible. A symbol I had seen more than once on the television. Autobot.

Oh. They were Cybertronian. That...that explained it. But if that one was an Autobot then some of the others here must be Decepticons. Shit. And all of them appeared pretty roughed up. Double shit.

_Crrrrreeeeaaaakkkkk_. I jerked and twisted a little to see one of the bodies move. There next to the red one was another. I hadn't seen it at first because it was partially behind the other in my line of vision and all of them were pretty hard to distinguish as they were right then. It moved again, shifting a little and a pain filled groan sounded.

Before I'd realized it my legs were slipping and sliding down the slope. Damn, I hope it's not dead yet. Shit shit shit. Stumbling and nearly falling headfirst I finally made it to the bottom and carefully skirted the other bodies to get to the moving one. New scents filled the air as I moved, acrid and bitter. Some of them I couldn't figure out how to describe and a few others had the strong stench of burning. On closer inspection the other bot appeared to be a golden color and looked very similar to the carnation colored one, albeit he had both his legs and his helmet-like head looked to have a different design. One arm wrapped itself around what I guessed to be the chest while the other stretched itself to his comrade, going around the back and clinging to the opposite shoulder with an iron grip, keeping the unmoving one next to him. His friend's eyes were dark, his own a flickering dull blue.

"Hey," my voice wasn't loud enough above the pouring rain, "Hey! Do you want some help?!" I called louder, shivering in my soaked state. It ignored me and stared blankly.

"Hey! You look like shit! Do you want some help or not?!" I hollered louder with my hands cupped around my mouth, trying again. The black and yellow head turned to look at me and I leaned away, fighting the urge to take a step back. Easy girl, you saw the Autobot symbol. He can't hurt you right now anyways. He's torn up and you're fast.

"Beat it," a snarl in a rough and low voice that was definitely male and then a groan as he glared at me with eyes that kept dimming. His expression however, remained dazed and unfocused. I squinted up at him and wrapped my arms around my shivering midsection. What do I do now? I don't have the foggiest idea on how to help.

Suddenly he lurched, the upper half of the Autobot pulling forward so he was bent over, leaning towards me. I froze and fought the urge to bolt as the damaged bot tilted his head and tried to focus on me. My heart beat rocketed skyward as fear and adrenaline shot through my veins.

"You...you have to take these...to others...Autobots...Don't let...Cons catch...you.." Static overlay and shorted out his words as metallic lips valiantly tried to form what he was saying. I nodded yes automatically, if I could help...Wait.

"Take what?" I called out as he leaned back against the mud and rock slope. What the hell was I supposed to take to the Autobots?! I moved forward around the puddle of pink and black fluids, hopping over shards of cracked metal and shattered glass littering the ground. How could I help if I didn't know what to take care of?

The golden one ignored me and moved his giant hand from his comrade's shoulders and reached down, suddenly holding a cylindrical glass container. Where had that come from? He pulled it closer to his chest and the top opened in flower-like procession, overlapped layered sheets unfolding outward. The plating on him shifted, creaking and making odd unidentifiable sounds as they slid back. A blue glow emanated from the cavity within.

"Keep...safe..." He growled again and put the container right up against his chest. I stared in horror with wide eyes as shots of blue electricity crackled out and with it two glowing orbs that settled in the cylinder. A tea-kettle keening erupted from him as one of his legs suddenly kicked out and he thrashed, spraying mud and water to the side and on me as I ducked to avoid being pummeled by a metal limb. His body fell limp.

What...what just...I dashed forward as the black hand that held the container thumped on the ground. No, no. Don't be dead.

Climbing on the rain slicked metal was tricky but I managed to pull myself up and stood on his legs, keeping balance as my boots slid. Please don't be dead. You can't be dead, you were just alive. Please, please, please. Terror and panic whirled at my core.

"Hey!" I screamed loudly, the echoes bouncing against the rock, my hands curled into fists as I roared up at him, "Wake up! …...Please..." I whispered quietly when he didn't respond as the storm drowned out my words. No creaking metal, no light in the glass eyes. Nothing at all.

NO, NO, NO, NO! "You're not allowed to die, damnit!" I bellowed at him as my breathing hitched and without thought my foot kicked out at where his abdomen would be, bringing forth a light clang. He...he, he...no. He couldn't just_die._I stood numb in the rain as tears mixed with the water flowing down my face. I had just seen someone die. I had just seen an_Autobot_die. My mind couldn't seem to wrap itself around this as the shivers on my spine increased and I stared with blank fascination at the thing in front of my, now devoid of presence. What...what do I do? As quickly as the grief had sprung up I pushed it away and felt only an emptiness inside. There was nothing to be done now. No one I could save. They were dead. The red one before I'd gotten here and now the yellow one. What the hell do I do now? The question drifted into my head but my numbing mind wasn't able to catch a plausible answer.

Or maybe...maybe there was one. A light to my left caught my eye and I studied the glass he'd held to his chest. Empty before, it now carried two glowing white orbs surrounded by a pulsing blue light that contrasted against the dark and dreary bitter environment surrounding it. They spun in tandem, around in circles, occasionally flashing brighter or dimmer. He said to keep these safe.

That thought snapped me out of the haze I'd been in. I had to keep this thing safe. Whatever it was. Carefully I maneuvered across the Autobot's lap, trying to ignore the fact that I was climbing on a corpse, and got to the other side. Now between both the red and yellow one panic slid into me once more, this time accompanied by grief. They were both dead, faces blank and eyes dark. My god, they were dead. Stuffing that aside I took a deep breath and calmed myself. Carefully I pulled the container from the lax grip of it's owner.

Symmetrical in design with metal on both ends, the top was now firmly closed with the thin panels overlapping one another. The closed openings had the exact same look, dark gray reflecting a bronze sheen in the rain. The thunder rumbled quietly above. Slowly I turned the glass so it sat upright, the spheres inside bouncing slowly. Crouching in the mud it came up to my chin. If I had been standing it would reach my thighs, almost to my waist. In the Autobot's hand it had appeared small. Really, I was short but it's wasn't tiny, just thinner than wide. The container was close to three hands across. Hesitantly I wrapped my arms around it, trying a hand at lifting. And almost fell over from my effort.

Whatever this was really made out of, and whatever was inside, was pretty light. I felt like I was carrying a rolled up rug, although not quite as awkward to carry. As I stood in the muck and contemplated what to do with this there came a crash. Flinching I turned to see one of the other transformers moving. A hand fisted and pushed against the soggy ground, heaving up the body attached to it. Another arm on the other side moved slowly and the green and purple giant was pulling itself up. Rain pinged on it's backside but didn't drown out the sound of gears grinding and whirling against each other. A deep breath as I gasped, sighting a purple symbol as it became visible on the chest. This one was just as well known as the Autobot symbol. Only this one was trouble. Even under the spray of multicolored liquids and mud, it was unmistakeable, Decepticon.

Shit. Double shit. If it saw me I was dead, but if I stayed here I would get killed anyways. And the Decepticon might get this container. Standing frozen for a few seconds I made my decision and bolted for the slope. Sliding around one of them set my nerves on edge but it wasn't moving and it kept me out of sight from the other. There was nothing to do about my thudding footsteps. I had to be quick. Let's hope they couldn't be heard over the noise of the weather.

Slipping and sliding I tried dashing back up the way I'd come. But the incline kept pushing me down and with both arms around the cylinder I kept sliding back. Damnit! Do you want to die! Below the giant creaked and rumbled, a quick look behind showed it getting up. No!

I scrambled higher, boots sinking into muck before finding ground on a patch of larger rocks. They clattered and slid a little as I dashed up and pulled myself up onto the flat cornfield. Panting and now thoroughly covered in mud, I struggled to stand. My legs trembled from the exertion. I had to run. If the decepticon saw me and wanted this, it would chase me. Internally groaning, my feet stumbled over the roots and broken stalks. The field had seemed much shorter the first time I had crossed it. Panting and running forward, much slower now, I tried to see where I'd dropped my bike. Side of the road, side of the road. Damn the rain for making everything much harder...There! There is was, at the curve on the edge of the pavement.

"Yes!" I breathed a sigh of relief and then stopped as I realized my dilemma; how to get out of here quickly when I needed my hands to steer my bike. Damn, damn, damn, damn... With a outward silent snarl I yanked up my bike and unhooked the ropes holding my backpack. Don't stop, you don't have time. Just get out of here to safety. Hissing nasty words I yanked open my bag and dumped out the food before stuffing the container inside. Not bothering to be distracted by the spinning lights I struggled to get the zipper closed. Hurry, hurry, hurry! Why did this thing have to be so tall?! Thank god I'd brought my large backpack to get groceries earlier.

Finally managing to secure it, I slung my bag back into the basket and tied it down with quick finger before pulled my bike up. Climbing on and kicking off, I quickly picked up speed despite the light weight I carried. With my heart hammering in my chest, the tires sliding over slippery pavement only caused me to go faster. Whipping around the bend I was off, not even worried about falling now. That would be a minor issue if I was caught.

* * *

I didn't normally swear but considering the situation it was justified. I normally consider myself to be a relatively calm person but if anyone else had been in my position then I'm sure they would have been cussing nonstop as well. Regardless, there was no Decepticon chasing me. And that was the only good thing I could think of.

On the other hand, my person was a mass of soggy rain water crossed with a mud monster. My boots were toughened leather, meant to keep my feet dry, but there was still at least an inch or so of liquid sloshing around my toes in there. My hair was plastered to my skull and kept getting in my eyes. My entire being was shaking from adrenaline and exhaustion. I had a... thingamabob, from some dead Autobot in my bag, I had seen someone_die,_and there was a possibility of a Decepticon or two that may or may not come after me. Don't forget I was charged with getting said thingamabob to some Autobots who were who knows where. And, I had lost the groceries. I was screwed no matter which approach I took on the situation.

Another low growl slipped out of my lips as I pulled into my yard and stowed my beat-up bike next to the truck in the barn and untied the bag. With a sigh I schooled my features to hide the frustration and worry before turning toward the house. A squat building with white-going-gray wood paneling and a columned porch sat up against the road. Scale-like shingles that were most definitely rusting tinged under the rain and matched the dark gray and green curtains I had picked out a few years ago. Kept people from looking in, satisfied Dad and they were not a horrid color. Between the old barn and the house itself was Dad's (mine really) garden that was gaining massive amounts of cucumber by the day. I was never going to plant so many again.

Tromping across the yard with my bag I kept a wary eye on the road in the direction I'd come. Lady Luck had seen fit to grant me a pass from sliding and falling in my hurry but that Con could still be following. There really was no telling if it had seen me. Now that I thought about it... The road curved. Marnie's fields were actually in the other direction. If that thing wasn't following the road but just came in this direction in a straight line, it would cut right through the woods.

A narrow glance toward one of my favorite havens and I contemplated the probability of that happening. No, I would hear it coming ahead of time if the Decepticon did choose to do so. And it would have trouble getting through all the trees. Taking a shortcut straight here wouldn't be a wise decision.

Without pause I pulled my groaning self up onto the porch and finally out of the rain. Now what the hell to do. I couldn't very well walk into the house like this. I also couldn't strip outside. Our neighbors weren't very close but I preferred not to risk it. Not to mention the fit Dad would have. Yes Dad, I am twenty-two, I think I can run around naked in the rain if I was to. Shut up brain and think of something actually useful, not stupid. Ugh, I was tired.

Finally I just pulled off my boots and jacket, setting the latter across the back of a wooden chair and then unlocked the door and headed straight for the laundry room. Stripping and shoving it all in the empty washer, I grabbed my pack and snuck upstairs to get fresh clothes. That quick dash was thankfully lacking in curious fathers and I wasn't seen. Closing the door with a sigh of relief I set the dripping bag on one of my bath towels and grabbed another before sneaking into the bathroom. Was I putting off dealing with something important? Yes, but no one was checking over my shoulder about it. And getting the mud out of my hair was crucial to avoid awkward questions. It wasn't an emergency and as far as I knew, a ticking clock was not hanging above my head. Just let me take a breather.

Warm water was heaven after the brutally cold rain and as expected the loss of dirt and other things from my person improved my mood. Until I dried off and noticed the bruises around my ankles. Those must have been caused by my boots when I was running. With that thought came back all the suppressed images and before I knew it I was curled up on the floor with tears running down my face. The grief from earlier reared up and dragged me down until my teeth were clenched shut to keep me from screaming out loud, the pain inside a physical essence pressed to my lips where it wanted out. I would have liked very much to punch the wall, knock the bottles from the shelf, scream to let it all out and cry that it wasn't fair for someone to die when I had tried to help. I wanted to save him. But if I started sobbing, if I did any of that, Dad would hear and then I would have to come up with an explanation. I couldn't lose control. A shallow breath and then a deeper one filled my lungs and the pain and despair left me, burned out as quickly as they'd come. My pumping lungs and heart started to slow from their quickened states.

Another moment to collect myself and I wiped away the tears that had scalded down my face. I wanted to stay on the floor and rest, I was so tired and worn out, but there were things to be done, whether I wanted to deal with them or not. Picking my exhausted self up from the tile, I got dressed and finger combed my hair as the dryer heated it up until it was no longer damp. Now done and realizing I couldn't put it off any longer, I went to my room.


	7. Chapter 7

This wasn't as much fun to type because there were less interesting things and more about Shay at home but ...eh. It was funny how far off the mark she was about what the sparks were. XD Also- super protective dad appearance.

* * *

I had no frickin' clue what this thing was. That much was certain. Sitting on my rug I contemplated the very odd object before me. Drying said container revealed nothing and while I wasn't an expert at technology, there were no buttons. Most devices had buttons, so I could probably rule that out. Which left a) a power source, b) an object of mass destruction, or c) some freaky lava lamp. I highly doubted it was the last one, it was completely ridiculous. I really needed a nap. But it was obviously important if that guy was going to trust a random stranger to take care of it over the possibility of a Decepticon getting ahold of the container. It would most likely be a very bad thing if the Cons got it. Maybe it really was an object of mass destruction. That seemed to be something they would go after.

But then, did they make it? Or was it a weapon the Autobots made? Were they fighting over it?

With a sigh, I leaned back against my bed. I didn't have the answers to these questions. Urgh.

I stared at nothing at all while I thought, gazing unblinking around the room. Books, papers and CDs were set in neat piles by the old stereo on my desk. Next to my dresser, shelves emerged from the wall. The top two held my books, from slim volumes of history and ancient worlds to slightly thicker pieces about plant species and how to books. How to plant a night garden, how to make quilts from scrap cloth, how to sharpen knives properly, how to make arrowheads. Many of the books had come from my father's collection but a greater number had been bought and found over the years. Only two folders on the shelf held important paperwork, the rest being downstairs in the office room. Just below was the shelf that held my two slingshots, worn and used over the years. A plastic tub of marbles rested by a basket of rounded rocks and a pack of steel balls. The last and lowest spot held pine-cones, chunks of quartz that were tiny in size, and leaves dried from months past. Dad grouched that we shouldn't have such things in the house but since they were in my room, he wouldn't toss them out, just complain about it. Eventually I'd put them back in the woods were I'd found them before collecting more the following Spring and Autumn. On the pale blue walls hung two posters. One showed the moon hovering over the ocean waves at night. The other above my bed was a forest scene at dawn with mist weaving between the trees, a down-shot from above.

Uuuaaaarrrggghh. Sitting here wasn't going to get me the answers. Rubbing my face with a sigh I poked the container with hesitance, the glowing spheres inside spinning closer to my hand. The other Autobots would know. And he said to take this to them. Giving it to the police wouldn't guarantee good results. He entrusted it to me, which means _I_ have to get it to the Autobots. I scowled at the container. Why did he have to do that? I don't have a clue on what I'm doing. So I couldn't hand it to the authorities, and telling my father would most likely have bad results. He meant well, but wouldn't want us involved in this, whatever _this_ was. He'd see it as dangerous and get rid of it as quickly as possible.

Laying on my stomach I looked at the object and ran my fingers up and down the glass, drawing the orbs into following my fingers, the blue glow playing across my face. Why couldn't I just do it? That Autobot asked me to take this to the others. Was I really going to go against a dead person's wishes?

Dangerous plan versus safe familiar home. Responsibility vs safety. Responsibility. Safety. Responsibility. Safety. Grrrrrrrr.

Well, guarding this and taking it to the Autobots was the right thing to do. I couldn't just hand it over to someone else! What if the Decepticons got it? And I don't really trust anyone else with this right now. This was my responsibility. I had to do this. I owed it to him.

With a sigh, I dropped my head to rest against the floor, "Sorry Dad, but I know you won't let me do this. And I really have to. I really hate being the perfect daughter all the time you know." I mumbled aloud, the wood muffling my words. "You're just going to have to let me do my own thing this time."

Ah, how to do this. It is tricky business to leave without just up and disappearing mysteriously. More planning was needed, I thought, looking up and eyeing the bright container. I would definitely have to take my slingshots.

* * *

I had made a quick list and planned out what to take, because I am the sort of person who likes to be prepared and usually tries to plan things out. Most of the time it was a mental plan, but if there was paper and pencil nearby, well that was even better. Tying my brown hair back and settling cross-legged on the floor once again, I gave the container (device?) a hard stare before starting my plan. The only response was a flickering glow that pulsed mildly brighter than the light on the ceiling. Through the window dark clouds tumbled across the sky. At least it had stopped raining.

A sigh.

supplies:

bag 1: food, water, clothes, wallet

bag 2: large bag- container

on person: knife, slingshot, steel balls

get keys and leave.

call Boss

sneak out of house

hit the road

I needed to get to the computer to find out where I would be going. That meant going downstairs and facing my father. Oi. This would be fun to deal with. Tiredly, I rubbed my forehead and hoped the recent soaking wouldn't cause a headache.

Cementing my expression into something neutral and altogether not worried, I quietly walked down the stairs. I had seen the truck in the garage, which meant he was home. Normally he'd be at work right now, seeing as it was Wednesday and I didn't work until tomorrow so he'd taken the truck this morning. But if it was in the barn then he'd probably got off early. Lovely. Coming around the corner I noted the water on the floor. Maybe I could get that up before he noticed...

"Shay," Aurgh. No such luck. I turned to see my father taking a sandwich out of the microwave. Maybe you find it odd that I still live with my father even though I'm an adult, but I think there are others who do it too. We don't have a ton of money lying around and my Dad's happy with me staying with him for a while. Sometimes life sucks. Deal with it. I'm working on the situation, I just don't know where I want to go yet. Don't judge me because I don't have it all figured out.

"There's water by the door." A voice that is deeper than my own- slightly scratchy but warm, it always reminds me of the house, although I don't know why. I nodded in his general direction before turning right around and grabbing an old towel from the laundry room to wipe up the liquid. When I got back to the kitchen I looked at the clock and then him eating the grilled cheese. The blue numbers on the oven said one-forty five. He never ate lunch when he was supposed to, or breakfast or dinner for that matter. I didn't really either but at least I tried to eat at the right time.

My father was on the taller end of the scale but still slim. Darian Carpenter could have passed for someone younger than thirty-five except the graying hairs and slightly grizzled chin gave way to his real age of just over forty-seven. Darker hazel eyes studied everything with a tired but meticulous air. Like my own, dark crescent hung under them and never left. While my skin wasn't dark, it was tanned from the hours spent outdoors. Dad's was paler, as he worked indoors at the bank and didn't tend the garden as I did. The ways we looked similar were in our broad facial features and deep set eyes, as well as the same shade of sun-streaked brown hair. His fell just past his ears, mine half-way down my back. My hair was one of my only vanities and that is the only reason it wasn't shorter. It got in the way far to much.

A word on my father, Darian is a man who likes to make sure everything is the way it is supposed to be, at least in his eyes. He was very protective of me (paranoid) and wanted the best, my only problem being he tended to be a bit _too_ involved. He cares, he really does, but I can not stand things that hold me, and his hold is very strong. Don't take my word for it please, as much as I've tried to remove myself from the situation to study it, my opinion is slightly biased. I want to be left alone a little, to gain some space, but he's always trying to help me or make me better.

I have to do things on my own because, while he says learning not to be dependent on anyone is good, he will step in at the first mistake and fix it for me before spending half an hour explaining what I should have done. Often followed by another half an hour of useful advice on life in general or society or something or other. Growing up wasn't bad, I always had one parent to rely on. But people make me itchy and as comfortable as I am around him I usually need a break after interacting with my father, just to relax. There is a reason my room is somewhat sparse, (at least compared to others). The more things he knows about me, the stronger his hold. If I left all the things I liked the most in my room, then he would eventually see them and try to get me more, to make me happy. I suppose I'm a very weird person, not wanting attention and presents from a parent, but I'm an adult, even if he tends to forget that. Gifts just make me guilty, that I don't want them and that I always have to find a way to pay them back.

But as I said, he tended to make sure everything was in it's place, so it was no surprise when he asked what I had known was coming, "Did you get the groceries in town like I asked?" a polite question that could have been a curiosity but in reality, was a hand grenade under the rug. He leaned back against the counter as he munched his food, one arm folded across his waist. I mimicked him with my arms crossed and stood straight in the middle of the room. A slight sniff before I answered. That sandwich smelled good. The normal kitchen smell didn't help my hunger either. Cinnamon and bread scents were delicious. Traitorous stomach, I thought as it gave a faint rumble.

"I was going to but the storm rolled in earlier than the weather man said. I turned back and ended up soaked anyways." I replied with a bland tone and a bored expression. As much as I would prefer not to admit this, I can lie well enough when needed. The best poker faces come from many years of practice. Faking calm, I stood still and relaxed my stance a bit. Dad frowned and his brows furrowed.

"You didn't get the food? Do you have a good idea for dinner then? Because I was gonna make french toast." Warning tones underscored his words. If I were lucky no one would notice the bread, eggs, cheese and other foodstuffs lying next to the road. And if they did, then hopefully they wouldn't mention it to my father or the fact that I'd been in town. Unfortunately, I would have to pull fifty or so bucks out of my saved money to cover the missing cash. Damn.

"There's leftovers in the fridge. I'll think of something and go tomorrow... French toast? Aren't you eating bread right now?" My face shifted into an 'are you serious' look with one eyebrow higher than the other.

Darian shrugged and gave a faint snort, "Eating bread never harmed anyone. Besides, it's healthier than the sandwiches they have at all those fast food restaurants." I nodded as expected, used to hearing his healthy eating lectures, "Oh Shay, the price of eggs went up. You'll have to take some more money tomorrow while you're out." Practice kept me from rolling my eyes. It wasn't his fault, really. But I already knew the price had gone up. I did actually pay attention. There was no reason for me to be irritated just because he was telling me something I already knew. He was trying to be helpful. Be nice Shay. Ignoring the inner voice I focused on Dad again, as he was still talking.

"I wouldn't worry about it too much," He had gotten up and moved to ruffle my just dried hair. Face to face, hazel eyes watching blue, my father was only a few inches taller than me with the top of my head level with his nose. A smug smile graced his features, "Kaitlin offered to sell us eggs at half price because of the porch you helped her with." Ms. Atalaid was one of our closer neighbors who had been painting her porch a couple months back and I had offered to help, seeing as I hadn't anything else to do at the time. She also raised chickens on her farm. But Dad was always smug when he found a way around money problems. I didn't really care anymore as long as I eventually saved up enough for my own vehicle, like we'd been trying for the last few years. I technically had enough to get a cheap apartment around here but trucks were a bit more expensive and I needed a way to get around. My bike just didn't cut it sometimes.

Giving the expected small smile at the gesture of affection finished our family ritual and he turned toward the living room, heading down the hall, "Hey," I called after him, "You didn't tell me why you're home early." You aren't the only one who gets all the useful information around here buddy.

Dad didn't turn around, "Got off early. Off for the next two days." Huh, I'd called it. And as soon as no eyes were upon me my smile dropped and I returned to my normally blank face. Now that that was taken care of, I could get on to the things that needed done. Dinner didn't need to be started until later. Which left getting the materials I required for leaving and a quick search for the location. On to the computer it was. Our house was two stories but it wasn't that large, meaning there were only so many rooms. Besides the two upstairs bedrooms, there was a closet and a bathroom. Downstairs lay the kitchen, laundry, living room, a short hallway and office. Neither of us really cared for a dining room. I tended to eat in the kitchen or my room, unless my presence was required in the living room were Dad usually ate. Down the hallway I went. Once in the office room I booted up the computer (one of the few newer and working things we actually had) and started searching. In a few moments I had my answer to where I would be going. It was no secret to where the Autobots were.

Mount St. Hilary; Portland, Oregon

* * *

I was on the road, finally. Sneaking two bags (one carrying the container) out to the truck and hiding them had been relatively easy. Seeing as one of our uncles from Canada had made his monthly call and Darian would be on the phone for an hour or more, I'd had plenty of time. Fixing a makeshift dinner and them calling my boss had been simple as well.

_"Hi, you've reached Donna Briar. I can't get to the phone right now, so please call back or leave a message and I'll try to get to you." A beep signaled that the phone was now recording. The corners of my lips turned up. Leaving a message would make this easier. _

_"Hello Donna, it's Shay about work. You've been telling me to take a few days off for awhile now so I've decided to do that. I just wanted to give you a heads up." She would be grouchy about the short notice but she had other helpers and it wasn't like we were getting a ton of people over at the shop right now anyways. I wasn't really needed all that much. Ending the message and turning off my phone, I made sure my knife was inside my sturdiest jacket. Tying up the laces on my recently cleaned leather work boots and grabbing one of my slingshots, I was almost set. A quick nap and one more thing. _

The last thing to be done before leaving was to check something. This wasn't essential, and it didn't really need to be done, but it would make me feel better. An inner voice worried that I was wasting time. I grumbled back that I couldn't leave till Dad went to bed anyways. If I tried to leave now he wouldn't let me take the truck, especially to go on a road trip halfway across the country. No, it would be better if he didn't know I was leaving. The risks of this little adventure failing before getting started were too high otherwise. Although it wouldn't surprise me if he called the police to report me missing, regardless of the note I was going to leave.

One last thing to do before going.

_The rusting shovel scraped the last layer of dirt away to reveal dented metal beneath. Brushing away the loose wet soil, I pulled the old toolbox out of the shallow hole where it had been buried. Under a tiny rock overhand and out of the sun guaranteed no plants would set their roots down around my hidden box. I wiped away a bit more of the crumbly sediment before pulling a small key from my pocket and unlocking it. Lifting the dirty blue lid revealed the treasures inside._

_Three beat up and dog-eared notebooks full of copied poetry, a stuffed brown cat, a carved wooden bear the size of my hand, a small knife with a handle made of bone, a silver chain hair net with turquoise drops and a matching necklace, a few old journals and paper flowers that were fragile with age. At the bottom between everything else sat little clusters of shiny amethyst chunks and acorns. Broken chips of stained glass and a single flint arrowhead rested in a neat pile in the corner._

_I smiled in delight, seeing my treasures. Perhaps I was a little too old to be hiding things in the woods like a child, but I had been doing it for so long it had become habit. One I couldn't, nor wanted to, break. Relieved that my secret things were still here, I sniffed carefully to make sure nothing smelled like rot and checked for cracks. All I got was a whiff of woods, dust and old paper. Carefully I leaned back on my heals instead of the wet ground, pondering the thought of taking this box with me. Mulling it over I shoved away the twinges of unease. Leaving them unguarded made me twitch, but no one knew they were here, and the probability of my things being found while I was gone was very slim. I had to travel light. Taking my box was not only unnecessary but risky as well. I could not allow it's loss. It would be safer here._

_Quietly I listened to the evening birdsong as the toolbox was once again locked and placed in the soggy ground. Now covered with dirt and a few damp Autumn leaves scattered under the ledge perfected the image that nothing was out of the ordinary here. Sighing, I stretched and made my way back through the trees. As long as I could come back to my treasures, I would be alright._

And now I was on the road, headlights in the mirror peeling back as I drove away from my familiar town and west into the night. If someone was out there listening, maybe they heard my whispered request for safety and luck. With the windows cracked open to bring in humid chilly air and the radio silent, I put my foot on the gas and started the insane adventure that I was sure was going to get me killed.


	8. Chapter 8

Thank you everyone who has reviewed, faved or is following this. It really makes my day.

* * *

I do not like people. That fact just needs to be clear so that my actions are understandable. People make me uncomfortable and avoiding them at all costs is a long held practice. So, while I did have enough money to rent a hotel, it seemed more preferable to save it and just sleep in the truck. Save the money for food, don't have to go talk with someone about renting a room, and I would probably get more sleep here than in an unfamiliar bed.

The first night I stopped in an empty parking lot outside a train yard. My father and I had passed this place a number of times before, but that did not mean it was safe. Fortunately, I had checked under the seats before I left and had found the metal baseball bat that frequented that space. Did I mention my father's paranoia? Whether or not it was over the top, the bat was a welcome weapon. A couple knives and some steel balls to the eye can only do so much damage.

By that time it was nearly four in the morning and I was about to crash. Pulling over and making sure the doors were locked, I settled into the back before pausing. The container was hidden under a blanket, just under the seats, but I still thought something didn't seem right. Doors locked, windows up, a thick blanket to keep me warm, container hidden, weapons in reach... Finally I sighed and pulled the object out. Settling the glowing thing next to me, I curled up and covered everything with the comforter once more. It was safer if I just held onto it. Laying on my side with my knees drawn up put the metal cylinder against my chest. The nearby city lights blocked out any stars I may have seen from my window, as my head lolled back and I relaxed. Drifting off, it occurred to me that the container seemed warm.

* * *

The Ark was quiet, nestled in the mountain. It was night time, meaning it was always slightly quieter than in the day, but now the silence seemed oppressive. A gloomy film covered everything. Only three mechs sat in the rec room. The only reason for their state of consciousness instead of recharge was the change of shift soon. Well, Cliffjumper and Hound had a shift soon. Ironhide just wasn't in the mood to recharge.

Not a word was said as the large rust red warrior downed another cube. Hound just sat slumped over onto the table staring at nothing while the minibot glared at his energon. Finally he quietly spoke up.

"I say we do something about this. The….Twins... and I don't, I mean didn't, always get along...but the cons can't just get away with something like this. They can't just kill some of ours and go creeping back to their ship!" Cliffjumper's face was twisted into a scowl as he glared at nothing. He may not have liked the Twins that much, (far too many pranks would be the cause), but he hated the Decepticons more. The green tracker didn't bother to look up as his helm slumped farther down to rest on their table. Ironhide, on the other hand snarled.

"And wut would yah have us do? Prahm said nobody, an' a' mean nobody, leaves." A thick southern accent colored his words. It had grown more pronounced within the last twelve hours.

"Why won't Optimus let us have a go at them?! We can't just..." the minibot's tirade was cut off by Ironhide slamming his fist down on the table.

Partially standing and leaning forward he towered over Cliffjumper, "Do ya' really think this is the first tahm he's lost some bots?! He ain't wantin' tah lose aneh more a' us Jumper. If it was mah choice I'da already left tah get aftah them. But we ain't Prahm so we're ain't goin' nowhere. Hush yer vocalizah already." He growled, pale optics glaring out of a furious face. Ironhide wasn't the best person when it came to keeping his temper and his comrade's words were starting to get to him. Luckily Hound had heard enough.

Lifting his head a few inches, the forest green jeep looked over tiredly, "Can we not fight? I don't think it will help anything." Not a trace of the usual cheeriness could be heard in his words. Both red Autobots looked at each other for a moment and then at their quiet friend before the tension fled from their postures and Ironhide sat back down. Cliffjumper resumed glowering at his cube.

Silence once again reigned with the occasional crash echoing from the hall. The only loud noises to be heard lately were from the training room. By the sound of it, someone was tearing apart the training drones again. This would be the third time they'd run out in the last half a day. After a few minutes the doors slid open and a metal stegosaurus peeked his head in. Slowly Snarl walked in with his spiked tail dragging quietly across the floor. None of the mechs looked up.

Once he was in front of the other Autobots he spoke, startling them, "Grimlock say Twins not come back. This true?" he stared at them with sharp blue optics.

They looked at each other questioningly. Snarl was the quietest of the dinobots. Not in the way that he wasn't loud, but he didn't talk to any of the others as much. The fact that he was speaking to them, by himself, was a surprise. Finally Hound found his voice.

"...Yeah...They're dead. They're not coming back." He couldn't look the stegosaurus in the optic and turned away, posture completely drained of energy.

Cliffjumper studied Snarl, "Since when do any of you lot care if one of us offlines?" He questioned with the slightest bit of sarcasm in his voice. The dinobots didn't get along with the others and had made it perfectly clear several times that they thought they were the best because they were stronger and tougher than everyone else.

Snarl thumped his tail against the floor but didn't change his stance or transform. The other three mechs tensed in case he decided to fight. You learned early on not to piss one of them off or you got hurt. Badly.

But the mainly gray and yellow bot just looked at them, "Us dinobots respect Twins. They strong and good fighters. Look out for brother and other Autobots." His statement was met with wide optics as they thought over his words. Without anything else being said, Snarl lowered his head and went back out through the door.

No movement, no sound. After what seemed to be an eternity Hound stood and Cliffjumper followed after checking his chronometer. Their shift was starting.

* * *

For a few minutes I drifted in the place between awake and asleep. And then I lurched with a start when I realized that my bed was not were I had been resting. Lying across the back seat of my Dad's truck I caught the first glimpses of sunlight peaking above the skyline past the fields. My blanket was scrunched up around me and I looked down to find myself hugging the very warm metal container as if it were a teddy bear. A very large teddy bear, considering it almost came up to my waist, but I was hugging it nonetheless. Thankfully there was no one to see such a display.

Straightening, I groaned and wished my body had let me sleep another few hours. Curse my inability to get a good rest in unfamiliar places. With a sigh, I crouched and pulled breakfast out of the cooler. An apple and a turkey sandwich. Yum.

After downing some water and checking to make sure no one had messed with the vehicle while I slept, I settled back into the seat and eyed my cargo, the chilly morning air filtering in through the door cracked open. Why was it warm? I mean, it was obviously some sort of high tech thing but was it actually running? Was that why it didn't feel cold like metal usually did?

Frowning, I reached out to feel the glass. Warmth. The orbs floated around following my fingers again. Without realizing it, the corners of my mouth had started to turn up in a smile. Lowering my hand to the bottom of the cylinder, cool metal met my touch. Interesting. The orbs inside were making the heat, not the actual container. They were the more important piece here. Which made sense, seeing as how that Autobot had been carrying them inside his chest and not in this thing in the first place.

I decided I'd spent enough time in contemplation when I should be getting a move on. A check in the mirror revealed my hair to be a mess and my clothes rumpled. A sigh broke out of my chest, before I once again climbed into the back, this time to change into something cleaner. After pulling on a different shirt and another dark jacket, I finger combed my hair and tied it back once more. Time to hit the road again.

The day passed relatively slowly. Nothing out of the ordinary happened. I drove, stopped every few hours for a ten or so minute break, and munched on a granola bar or two. Passing cities, towns, and mostly flat farmland, time seemed to sweep by at an odd pace. It wasn't quick mind you, but different may have been the better word to use. Most of it was quiet too, except when the windows were down and wind rushed in to blow past my face. I wasn't desperate enough to even try the radio. Along the way I couldn't help but pick out things that caught my eye. Two guys on cantering horses as they raced across a paddock, a helicopter zooming by overhead, buildings and roads and cars and more roads and argh. By the time dinner rolled around I had lost my interest in anything and everything around me and it felt like my eyes were going to bug out of my head from the constant staring. How did people drive for so long?! At least it was nice and sunny today. Probably to make up for all the rain the day before. Thanks weather. You're so nice.

Ugh. I was hungry again, and tired and the evening shadows had started to creep across the ground. They conquered the patches of light and moved on, leaving nothing bright as the sun sank. Pulling into a diner on the outskirts of a small city, I checked my map to make sure I was on the course I had planned and decided a little cash lost for food was better than eating what was packed. Warm food won out against chilly leftovers stored in the cooler.

There were tall structures ahead and probably nicer places to eat as well, but I could deal with some cheap food as long as there were no pickles with it. I do not like pickles. Cumbers yes, pickles no. Hiding the orbs under a blanket once more I got out and made sure I had everything on me. Wallet? Check. Slingshot? Hidden on inside of jacket, Check. Knives? Left in vehicle. As much as I would have loved to bring them with me, I was quiet sure the management would have problems with me carrying such things into their place and I wasn't about to tempt fate.

Apparently fate decided to mess with me anyways. As soon as I locked the door and started across the parking lot, dodging broken glass and weeds growing out of cracks, there came a growl. I turned to see green eyes watching me from the tangled growth and dumpsters. Another growl and then a bark. I snarled in return and gave a low rumble. Without stopping or speeding up I kept march across the old asphalt. Sorry bud if I'm in your territory. Just passing through. Don't mess with me.

I wasn't followed and quickly ordered something for my hollow stomach. Wolfing down the sandwich and fries, (sans pickles), it occurred to me that Dad would be so disappointed if he knew I was eating greasy junk. Unfortunately, I couldn't find it in myself to care. He couldn't expect me to follow his rules forever. And he would keep trying, no matter how old I was. He couldn't stop me now.

A flash of guilt at my non-caring attitude and then I finished eating and slipped out. No one had looked at me when I'd come in and no one paid any attention when I left, and that was just how I liked it. Fishing the keys out of my pocket, I had just hit the unlock button when something bit the back of my lower right leg.

"Aaahhh!" I shrieked at the sudden and unexpected pain and whirled to find a very dangerous looking dog snapping at my face. In the two seconds I used to study it I got a few things: it was hungry by the way I could see it's ribs so definitely a stray, it was not above attacking people by the way it had bit me and was now snarling, and it was probably a mongrel, as I didn't recognize what breed it was. None of that really was useful to me except that a very aggressive brown feral dog was attacking.

I kicked at it with my good leg and it bared very nasty looking teeth. Damn, this was a big dog. With another snarl and a constant rumble emanating from the stray, it lunged and went for my face. Two seconds of panic followed by instinctual anger. Adrenaline hit my veins and I forgot how tired I was in the face of a threat. With a yell I swung at it and the canine jumped back. I rushed it, hoping it would see I wasn't easy prey and back off. Instead the dog just got madder and started up an angry barking as it lunged forward and then back, trying to bite me the whole time. Baring my own teeth and sending another kick, I struggled to get my slingshot out and grab a ball. The stray managed to get it's teeth into my bad leg again.

Yelping in pain, I crashed to the ground and started wrestling with him. I was bigger yes, but now he could potentially get to my throat. Fighting to keep his biting mouth away from my face, I kicked and fought. Inside my thoughts yelled at me. MOVE! DON'T LET HIM BITE YOU! HIT DAMN IT! HIT HARDER!

With a howl, I finally tossed him off and slammed both my fists onto his muzzle. Whining and hurt, the filthy dog staggered back and turned tail. I gave another howl as a warning not to return and shakily started getting up to see people coming out of the diner. Ah shit. Just what I needed. A worried looking woman rushed over to me and started jabbering.

"We heard some noise and saw that thing attacking! Are you alright?! I bet there's a first aid kit inside..." She continued on hurriedly, all the while trying to gently put her arms under my right shoulder as if I needed to lean on something. With frustration, I realized I did. My ankle hurt like hell and a stinging pain went through it when I stood up completely. Shaking her off I shook my head and leaned away from all the people who were now trying to crowd around me, a panicked chatter blocking out the normal sounds of the night and the nearby city.

"No, no. I'm fine. Just a little bruised." I white lied and tried to get away. Too many people I didn't know, waaaaaaaayyyy to close. I needed to leave. Now.

A man spoke up, "Ma'am, you have to go to the hospital! If a wild animal bites you, you need a tetanus shot." Shitshitshit. I could not go to the hospital. There was no way to hide/explain the container and I absolutely could not just leave it in the truck.

"Look, I'm fine. I'm leaving now." Ignoring the protests and pushing people out of the way I got into my truck and locked the doors. The concerned customers and possibly workers gawked at me and tried to argue but I had a closed window between us. Starting up and carefully maneuvering around people I got the hell out of dodge without looking back and put some distance between me and that incident. Which was not easy considering my ankle and lower leg felt like hell.

Finally after about fifteen minutes I was many miles away and almost alone on an empty stretch of road. Turning into a motel by the side, I pulled in and went to ask the management for a key. With only a curious eye at my current state, (I didn't know how I looked), it was handed over in exchange for some bills and I was carrying my bags into the room, trying not to limp. Damn that dog.

I was not in the mood to sleep in the truck tonight. Maybe tomorrow night. Argh. Stupid canine. I didn't do anything to you. Maybe I smelled like food, I had just eaten. Didn't matter, it was over with. Locking the door and setting my weapons in easy reach, I dumped the huge bag carrying my cargo on the bed and went into the bathroom with my first aid kit. Pulling my hair down I looked in the mirror. A mess greeted me.

Straggly hazelnut hair in a whirlwind style, a dirt covered jacket with several small tears and rips, a small red area on the side of my face. It may or may not form into a bruise. Exhausted gray-blue eyes looked back at me. Pulling the jacket off, I dumped it on the floor. Who knows what was on it, considering I was rolling on the ground and the stray was most definitely not clean. Sitting down on the toilet, I checked my leg to find my jeans weren't torn. Carefully peaking underneath I found the skin to be only slightly broken. The tough denim had kept it's teeth off me just not enough to stop the dog from drawing blood. So did I still need a rabies shot if the animal didn't actually touch my skin with it's teeth? Shrugging it off as something to be dealt with at a more proper time, I dressed and bandaged the small wounds before rotating my ankle. Odd, it seemed to hurt more when the muscle was stretched. I snorted. Figures. The worst was actually a pulled muscle, not a dog bite. Oye fate, why do you enjoy messing with me so?

I changed into sweat pants and another shirt. I would have to find a place to wash my clothes soon, seeing as the amount I'd brought was limited. Exhausted and thoroughly done with today I curled up on the bed and hugged the container. It was warm alright? Bite me.

Sighing, I pressed my head to it and lazily watched the orbs swirl closer. Sinking into a half sleep, I let the panic and fear rush up before fading. It had been a long day, and completely different from what I was used to. Maybe tomorrow would be slightly less traumatic. A slight tug on my insides.

_Poke._

I brushed the sensation aside. Tired and worried Shay meant not amused Shay ignoring whatever was being bothersome. It came again as the dread settled in my stomach.

_Poke. Comfort._

Huh, that was nice, I thought sleepily. It didn't occur to me to wonder what it was. Relaxing a slight bit at the nice feeling and finally drifting off completely, my mind shut down.

* * *

_One turned it's attention to the other. Fear, anger, worry. They felt this from the Other. The one questioned if they should do something. They didn't like these feelings. They didn't like the Other feeling bad. One of them gave a shrugging feeling and watched with wary curiosity. The other one gently sent out a questioning._

_Poke._

_The bad feelings were still there. However, they could feel it when the Other felt the question. But there was no response._

_Poke. Comfort._

_Calmness took over, followed by drowsiness as they realized the Other was once again less awake than before. The Other had done this earlier. At least the bad feelings were gone now. Satisfied, one of them turned to the other one and they conversed in feelings and vague thought, as words did not exist in this place. What was to be done about the Other?_

_One of them did not trust this one so much. The other one didn't trust so easily either, but liked this one. The Other was keeping them safe. With nothing more to worry them, they responded to the Other's drowsiness with their own and settled in the dark warm place to rest. One presence curled around the other one's, leaving only feelings of content happiness as they slumbered together._


	9. Chapter 9

I would like to thank ksv12 for the advice and my sister for telling me to add pancakes in there somewhere.

So even in a spark container with no really coherent thoughts, Sideswipe can still manage to guilt trip people. Also, comparing the Twins to bunnies? Really Shay?

* * *

Comfy. Warm. Nice. I did not want to move. When my eyes opened, I rolled over and looked to the curtain-covered window. It was still dark out. I didn't know when I went to bed last night and I didn't know what time it was now. But I was nice and toasty warm, and if the sun wasn't up then I didn't need to be up and that was final. With that determined, I felt a funny snickering feeling pass through me.

Odd. Why would I feel humor right now? Actually, now that I thought about it, last night was weird too. I'd dismissed the unexpected sensations because of exhaustion. Perhaps I should have paid more attention.

_Laughter_

Still curled around the glowing container, a stronger feeling of amusement bubbled through me. A response to my confusion. Shocked, I sat up and looked around. What the hell?

_Laughter. Snickering._

Oh, so my surprise was funny was it?

"Alright, what's going on?" I asked aloud with a scratchy morning voice and felt a bit ridiculous. Nothing in the plain room. This was weird. It almost felt like someone was looking over my shoulder. Then I glanced down to see the cerulean orbs flickering brighter than they had before. One in particular twirled in spinning circles right up against the side closest to me. Hesitantly, I placed a palm to the glass and waited. Worry settled in my gut once more. It was too early for this.

_Comfort. __Don't worry.__ Snickering._

With a startled yelp, I jerked back and got tangled in the sheets. I overbalanced and fell off the bed with a thump. In a jumbled mess of emotions I got the idea that this thing didn't want to worry me, but thought my discomfort was funny. It was alive. Oh shit. Eying the container, I tried to get my hyperventilating lungs under control. I had been wrong about the container being a device or weapon. It was carrying something _living._ This was so not my day.

I sat up and peered suspiciously at it over the side of the bed. Slowly, I reached out to gently touch the metal cylinder again. My fingertips just barely brushed it. Then, another tumult of emotions hit, although not as pleasant as the first time.

_Sad. Hurt. __Gone?_

"Hey, I'm not leaving." I spoke automatically as I would to a scared child, as the abandoned feeling echoed through me. Jerking back must have startled it. Two its, I mentally corrected myself, as there are two orbs. The one was bouncing around physically as well as tossing emotions at me, while the other sort of hung there with a wary feeling. Both were emitting hurt. Crap. I wasn't just carrying an object, I was carrying two _living creatures_. Whatever they were. This put a whole new level of importance on keeping this safe. Them safe. Argh.

Keeping a hand on it, I climbed back up and sat in front of the cylinder. A deep breath and I thought of sitting outside in the sun on a nice day. Relaxing and peaceful. I tried to send that feeling back to the spheres, but I wasn't quite sure how well it worked.

They must have felt it though, because the hurt emotions left, replaced by a hyper cheerfulness from the bouncy one and a slight irritation from the other, "Are you guys psychic or something? If you get in my head, I'm gonna be pissed." No answer, out loud or mentally. Maybe they couldn't really understand me besides the emotions?

"How come this didn't happen before when I was carrying you around?" Another question ignored. Cheerful one seemed to be doing something along the lines of poking and it got on Sullen one's nerves. Then they appeared to be playing a mental game of chase or tag. Honestly, it made my mind a bit dizzy at the odd feelings and they looked just to be swirling around like always. Sighing, I wrapped my arms around it once more and settled it in my lap, resting my head on top. Closing my eyes, I wished for another couple hours of sleep.

I absolutely had to get these guys to the Autobots. They had to be kept safe. Things just got a lot more complicated. The sun wasn't even up yet dangit.

Giving another reassurance and drawing away slowly (less I risk another guilt trip), I slipped into the bathroom to take a shower. It was obvious that I needed one and I was very thankful that I'd packed a bottle of shampoo and soap. With that out of the way, I packed everything while eating and put on my last pair of clean clothes. At least the jacket would keep the morning chill off.

Ready to leave, I put my hands on my hips and studied the orbs, "Okay you two. I'm taking you home. So any other surprises you have should be mentioned now." As expected, nothing happened. Who could have possibly guessed?

Checking my phone I found it to be just at six a.m. And I was already starting to get a headache. Putting everything in the truck, I turned off my phone again when it started ringing. Not bothering to see the number, I shoved it back into my bag. No doubt it was Dad, or my boss, or who knew who else, all wondering where the hell I was and what I was doing. And at the moment, ignoring it all in favor of this situation seemed to be the best solution. Thinking about all that stuff would just distract me from my goal. I dropped off the keys and started out again, this time with the container right next to me in the passenger seat.

With the miles rolling by it was almost peaceful. We passed huge acres of farmland and through small towns. Large churches, graveyards, country stores and sometimes small cities were all interesting, as I stared out my windows. Some of these places looked similar to home, but they weren't the same at all. Staring up at brick monstrosities in awe and sighing when I had to go through beautiful woodlands, I wished I could stop and spend some time.

Occasionally, when I was at a stoplight or such, I'd reach out to touch the glass once more. Usually Cheerful (renamed Mischief) would send a tickle feeling that seemed to be a greeting. Sullen didn't seem to care that much except for sometimes giving off a questioning emotion to brush against my insides, as if he weren't quite sure what to make of me. That's okay bud, I don't know what to make of you two either. When I wasn't watching the miles go by, I wondered about a lot of things. Mainly planning out everything that I could think of to get to the Autobots. But by noon, we'd gotten to the end of Nebraska. The ground had gotten noticeably less flat in the last three hours but it wasn't anywhere near being hilly yet. As long as I didn't have to drive through mountains I would be okay.

I stopped for lunch at a pancake joint and got gas. Once again warm food won out against leftovers, and said supplies seemed to be getting low. The cooler was only so big and I had packed enough food for a for a few days at most. But pancakes were always good. And as it was day, I didn't have to worry about feral animals. Sitting in the passenger seat and trying to keep syrup off my fingers, I balanced the paper plate and talked to the orbs. I wouldn't touch the glass with messy fingers. I felt a bit bad too, that they were stuck in there and not talking to them was like ignoring them, right? And besides, if they couldn't talk back then the conversations didn't grate on my nerves. In one sided talks you could stop talking whenever you wanted and no one would hold you responsible to continue your conversation.

"I'm not sure what you are, but if you guys can't eat pancakes then you're missing out." I mused out loud and thought about it. There were things better than pancakes. Like homemade pizza pockets.

"And oranges. Oranges have this really sweet flavor. Chocolate is good too, but anyone could tell you that. I wonder...what do you eat? It better not be humans. Seriously." Scowling, I looked down at them. The glowing lights still spun in circles as if they didn't have a care in the world. Yeah, yeah, you look cute. Continue floating around like you're innocent little bunnies or something. That act won't work on me.

"You better not eat humans." Another grumble.

Moving on, the temperature got higher and I kept the windows down. Let me tell you something. Driving with wind in your face means you're hair comes back to whack you if it's longer than a few inches. That is why mine is usually up. And the wind felt like flying. Not nearly as good as standing up on a high place, but still nice. When darkness fell the stars came out, and I turned on my headlights. While looking for a place to settle, distant music filtered through the air.

Interesting. What was that? I slowed a bit and the air rushing through the open window quieted. The music became more distinct and a sweet smell, like sugar, hung in the air. Rounding a curve in the road and coming down a hill, I spotted the neon lights of a carnival.

"Well, would you look at that." murmuring to myself, I drove past and turned to park up on a hill overlooking the ground. Being far enough away that I wouldn't be spotted settled my slight paranoia and I could still watch the activity below. I sat on the dry grass with the cylinder on my lap. It was warm enough to take off my blue jacket but I didn't want to invite mosquitoes. With my chin resting on top, I relaxed. The music made me feel wistful. Not that I would ever admit it to anyone, had they been there.

_Curiosity. Question?_

It seemed both of them were curious this time, "You know, I've never been to a carnival at night," I spoke while listening to the distant shrieks of joy and laughter.

"Smaller fairs, yes. But never one this large or at night. It's pretty." The neon lights flashed and gave the darkened world a festive quality and for a moment I wished I could go down there. What would it be like, to walk under those orange, yellow, red, and violet lights and see the world through rose tinted glasses, if only for a few hours? To smell the cotton candy and popcorn and experience all the joy that seemed to thrive in that place? Humming along to the music I let myself wish, for just a few moments. I didn't let myself do this often. Wishing all the time never leads to happiness and never gets one anywhere. I couldn't go down there. I wanted to, but couldn't. This came first.

Looking up, my eyes studied the distant stars, picking out patterns and searching for the Big Dipper. I only knew three constellations off the top of my head and could usually find them on clear nights. The Big Dipper, sometimes the Little Dipper, and Orion. It always took me a minute to find him because Orion's Belt was easy to spot but for some reason Orion himself always looked upside down to me. Tonight I found all three.

Rubbing my hand up and down the glass, I listened to the night noise and carnival sounds. The world and sky seemed to bleed into each other, starlight gracing it all. I studied the pitch skies and wondered what was out there in the distant galaxies.

"That's were you're from, isn't it?" I whispered and got no answer.

* * *

"Hey Optimus." The young man spoke quietly, watching his friend. The Prime had been working almost as much as Prowl lately but now he sat outside on the mountain, watching the sun sink down. The last rays glinted on the red and blue of his frame, highlighting the metal. His helm turned down to the human.

"Hello Spike. How are you?" A quiet deep rumble of a baritone.

Rubbing his brown hair, Spike Witwicky frowned, "I think you should be asking that of everyone else first. Or I should be asking you. How are you doing Optimus Prime?" Cybertronians didn't show the same signs as humans when they were upset. They didn't have bloodshot eyes or circles underneath, frazzled hair or anything else humans tended to have. But the young man had been around the Autobots long enough to know what to look for.

With Prime's optics duller than usual and the tired body language, it was easy to tell he wasn't having the lightest of thoughts. His legs were drawn up slightly, arms loosely wrapped around them and shoulders drawn in. Someone could have said that wasn't the right image a Prime should give off. But in light of recent events, no one with even half a spark would mention it to him. Leaning against the rock wall, he didn't give off the usual presence that normally was very hard to ignore. When he spoke you listened. When he watched you or asked a question you did you're best to earn his respect. Now he almost seemed smaller.

A deep sigh, air from his intakes blowing out to join the deep evening scents of pine and rock, "I am alright. Only tired. Tell me, have you spoken to the others besides Bumblebee?" Dim sky optics glanced to his friend. Spike situated himself on a boulder next to the titan.

"Bee told me yesterday and I got here as soon as I could." He paused as they watched a group of bats fly overhead on their nightly hunt for bugs and moths.

"Blue's barely saying a word, so we're worried about him. I went to see Prowl but he's hiding himself in datapads and reports. Wheeljack can't get Ratchet out of the medbay, so he's concerned about him too. We couldn't even get in there. Doc won't let anyone through the doors unless they're hurt. Jazz is blasting music at top volume in his room." Optimus had already known how his crew was, but he'd still had the hope that perhaps a familiar face would make it better and lighten someone's mood. It had been a foolish hope. The day's light slipped away even more but still graced the land and sky in red's and oranges.

"It is a good thing his walls are soundproof." The Prime put in blandly.

Spike quirked the corner of his mouth up, but there was not enough there to be a smile, "Yeah. Bee and I went to see if the Dinobots would come out. We figured, if we can cheer _someone_ up...maybe everyone would feel a bit better." Sadness tinged his words.

The Autobot leader turned away, back to the surrounding forest and mountainous rock, "Grief is not something that easily lets go. And many times, we do not want to let go of it either." Silence met this statement over the evening birds giving their last songs and the crickets waking up. Their chirps filled the air in the background, barely discernible.

"What did you tell the Dinobots, to persuade them to leave their room?" He finally continued.

"I asked them to play Jungle Natives with us. We even had some new patterned cloth for bribery. After that, we kinda gave up. There's just... I dunno what to do to help. And I miss the Twins too. Even for all the trouble they caused. Like that time I accidentally set off that trap meant for Gears. Couldn't get that silly string out of my hair for days." A brief chuckle broke through before fading, mahogany eyes tightening a little. The sky darkened a little more while the clouds became edged with fiery light.

The giant beside him sat quietly before lamenting, "This war has gone on for far too long. I fear that it will only be over when there is none of us left." He finished in a whisper. The human frowned, hearing the Prime's fear. But he couldn't give any consoling thoughts because he was afraid of that as well. He too, worried that the war would only end when there was no longer any Cybertronians, and no longer anyone left to fight.

"Primus willing that doesn't happen." Spike murmured to his friend as they watched the last light of day fade into dusk.


	10. Chapter 10

Saturday was the third day of my journey and unfortunately, I ended up having to deal with more people. It seemed my vacation away from society was to be interrupted, as a lack of clean clothing necessitated a stop to the laundromat. Finding a relatively large town, I easily found the right building by the large sign and wondered how well this was going to work. I'd never been in a place like this before. After I parked and hid the cylinder with a reassurance to the orbs, I hesitated. Upon entering I had to ask someone on how to use the machines. It wasn't my fault I'd always done laundry at home.

A friendly woman in a teal shirt had no problem explaining what to do and how to pay to use the machines. Thanking her I turned to find a seat. The employee made a quiet remark as I warily watched the other people around us.

"Ma'am, if you want to call someone we have a phone. There's some numbers too..." The raven-haired female's soft voice trailed off as I stared at her. I had a phone. Why would I need hers? What numbers was she talking about?

Finally I spoke, "I'm afraid I don't understand. Could you elaborate?" Manners dictated I remain polite, even if I had no idea what she was talking about.

A blink, "There's several numbers by the phone, hotlines for abuse." The other female shifted uncomfortable and gestured at her cheek. Oh.

It clicked. There was a fading bruise on my cheek that would probably disappear in a day. I had a slight limp in my right ankle (driving constantly was not kind to that muscle), and I knew I looked a little worse for wear with my exhausted appearance. But I'm not that disheveled, I internally huffed. My hair was in a neat braid. It's not like I had blood dripping off me or something. Ah well. This woman was trying to be nice.

Sighing on the inside, I remained calm and didn't offend over her offer, "Your concern is appreciated. I fell." I really had fallen. On old cracked blacktop and with a frickin' dog in my face.

This did nothing but fluster the already concerned employee, "That's what everyone says as an excuse but really..."

I cut her off, rude of me, I know, "I fell. Trust me. I am not in an abusive relationship or being abused." Barely refraining from adding what would happen if anyone even dared to try that with me, I stared at her. With a straightened posture, I tried to show just how serious I was and waited patiently.

Instead of soothing her, it seemed to have a different effect. After a few second of our staring contest her slightly widened eyes flickered away and then back but refused to firmly meet mine. The woman's mouth closed with a final snap, her determination to continue arguing having left. She nervously gave an excuse and backed off to resume her work. Frowning, I internally sighed. Why did this happen? Every time I gave someone my serious face they seemed to think I was glaring. I wasn't glaring. If I had been, she would have known. Urgh. I hate it when this happens.

Still grumbling to myself, I returned to the truck to wait for the end of the washing cycle. At least it was warm today. Sitting on the cushioned seats in the back of the truck, I thought that maybe I should have brought my ipod after all. There was nothing to do right now, and I was always doing _something_. Unless I was relaxing and listening to music. But the radio sucked, which meant nothing to do. Keeping watch on the passing traffic, I turned on my phone to check the time and found a whole lot of messages. Great. How many times had Dad called me? Was it too much to ask to just be left alone for awhile? I'd told him I would be fine in the note. Rubbing my knuckles up and down the container next to me, I stared out the window. Sunlight streamed down on me and warmed my unusual jacket-less state. This was pretty nice weather for Autumn.

Before I could return my phone to being off and out of sight, the cursed device started ringing. I frowned when I saw the number. Why was he calling me now of all times? We had talked just three weeks ago.

A deep breath of pine scented air and then I hit the answer button, "Hello. Shay speaking."

"Shay? About time! Do you know how many times I've tried to call you in the last few days?!" A huffy but warm male voice sounded through the speaker. After rolling my eyes I responded dryly.

"My phone has been off." I shifted to get more comfortable and watched the little lights spin around in tandem. Did he have to try to contact me _now?_ When I was actually busy with something?

"Yeah, I noticed. Listen, I had an idea and thought it would help you out." Smug satisfaction and excitement obvious even with all the distance between us.

"Help me with what Andrew?" I replied with my usual patience. This guy had known me for quite a few years but still never cut to the chase like I asked. And he knew I was usually too polite to berate him about it. I suppose the saying about good friends and knowing the best way to annoy you is true.

A snort, "To get you out of the house. I know that place has been driving you crazy. Leann's been saying you need to get a change of scenery, and I agree."

"I'm not in the house right now." Could his brilliant idea, whatever it was, wait until later? I shifted again and kept an eye on a couple walking past the truck. Why yes, I am mildly paranoid. Not as much as some people but still. Blame my upbringing.

"Yeah. I know _**that**_. Everybody knows you're not." The way he said it was odd. A funny feeling settled in my chest, the kind you get just as you realize something is really really not right. What the hell was he talking about?

"What do you mean, 'everybody knows?" My voice dropped in pitch and could have cut ice.

Andrew huffed through the phone, creating the slightest bit of buzzing static, "Dude, you're missing. Your Dad called the other day, and so did the police. They were asking if you were with me and Cassidy." My first reaction was for my body to freeze in surprise. Resisting the urge to bolt at this sudden news, I pulled myself into the front seat and scanned the area with sharp eyes.

"Everybody's been looking for you. I did say police, right?" Now my old friend sounded a bit worried, his normally tenor voice containing the slightest strains of a whine.

Dread and frustration reached out and hung heavily on my heart like anchors, "I left a note." A quiet hiss slipped through my lips.

"Well Darian didn't mention that." Ignoring the annoyance coloring his tone, I pinched the bridge of my nose. Why Dad, why? Could I really never do _anything_ without you butting in? Another scan, this one for cop cars. I did not have time for this. I really didn't. I was busy, damnit.

"So...what are you doing? Everybody's saying you just up and left."

"Well, I'm getting really tired of this 'everybody' and this 'everybody' needs to mind their own business." Silence on the other end to my flat and curt retort, " Not you Andrew. I meant the gossip mongers in town. And Dad." I do not yell at friends for being curious. Only when they did something unbelievably stupid and sometimes not even then. Usually I just told them they were idiots and left it at that.

He sighed. I could imagine him sitting somewhere, most likely his kitchen, flipping a pen or pencil through his fingers. If Cassidy was there, then she'd be rolling her eyes and miming something funny. It always made us crack a smile when we'd be on the phone and the red-head started acting out whatever it was that we were saying.

"'Kay, do I _**want**_ to know what you're doing?"

"It is important."

He was mouthing expletives now, I just knew it, "Alright. Alright. I'll leave you to whatever is is that's going on. Suppose it's good you're outta the house."

"What was that idea of yours anyway?" I questioned as I leaned back and closed my eyes against the light reflective vehicles around me. If I could just relax for a few minutes. And get some more sleep.

Andrew sounded much happier now, "So, back to you getting outta town. There's an apartment near mine and Cassidy's and the price is good. So I'm pretty sure you can afford it."

"I don't own a vehicle. Technically, I stole Dads." I reminded him, still with closed eyes.

"Yeah, ah-huh. But see, that the beauty of Greensboro. You can take a cab to work."

"_**If**_ I find work there." An emotionless mumble. But he was used to my less than enthusiastic replies in our conversations.

My friend chuckled, "But you haven't let me finish! I found some people, they own a fitness center that teaches self-defense on the side. And it's got a big gym, pretty decent sized place. Anyways, there's a group of friends that try to keep it going but only two of them actually work there 'cause the others got work elsewhere and they need another person. They're looking to hire. I know for a fact it pays better than the pawn shop." Grrrrrr. He knew the self-defense classes would catch my attention.

"I respect Donna, Andrew." My reply was a bit sharp and I regretted it almost immediately. He was only trying to help, and here I was snipping at him. Damnit, be nice Shay. You know how to act better.

My friend quickly became apologetic, "Hey, nothing against her. I like Donna too. But this will be good for you."

I 'hmmm'ed quietly, "You know these guys well?"

"One's in some of my university classes and I met with the other guys. They're alright. A bit on the tough side and they do some legal ring fighting but good all the same."

"I don't do gangs." Steel edged into my tone as I opened my eyes and pulled the cylinder closer. No, I wasn't looking for comfort. It was just better if it was closer to me. You know, in case something happened. Seriously.

"No. No. No. Not a gang, I swear. Just a group of friends who all try to run a fitness center. I know you're into sparring and all that, and there's no place to learn in Jade Creek, so I figured you'd be interested. Also, there's a huuuuuuuge wooded park nearby and the apartment is pretty close. All of it's just on the edge of town, so you won't be right in the middle of the city. And you can make new friends!" Andrew sounded so happy about it. Inside, it stung a little that I wasn't as excited about the proposition as he. Why was it so hard for me to care sometimes? This actually sounded good! Why couldn't I work up the energy to at least try it out?

A sigh, "You know what happened the last time I tried to make friends." It had ended with someone getting a broken bone and I had been the one doing the breaking.

Silence once again from the other end of the receiver and then, "Just give it a chance. You're going crazy at home. You're life can't get any better until you change something."

With that out of character guru advice from him, my shoulders slumped, "...Okay...Thank you, Andrew. I don't appreciate you guys enough. I wonder why you all are still friends with me."

I really did. Barely seeing them and rarely communicating wasn't a good habit. Even when we all lived in Jade Creek, I didn't go out to see them as often as most people see their friends. And my usual expressionless or grouchy state wasn't exactly welcoming. They were always the ones to call me. Why did they still try? This question had been haunting me for quite some time and I still hadn't found the answer.

"Because we're friends Shay. Friends don't just leave friends, even if one is a gargoyle hermit." He started snickering again.

"Gargoyle...Hermit...?" My head jerked up from were I'd laid it on the cargo.

"Sure. You're a stony gargoyle 'cause you don't react much, and you're a hermit. We love you anyways because we know deep down you care." I could hear the fake condescending tone in his voice through the phone. Oi. Friends.

"Tell your wife I said hi. Thanks for calling Andrew." I shook my head and rolled my eyes.

"Bye Shay. Good luck running from the police."

What.

"Hey! I'm not running. I didn't do anything or break any laws..."

He cut off my rant with a chuckle, "Yeah, but they're looking for you and you're going to avoid them, aren't you? Bye Shay." Full blown cackling went through the line as he hung up and left me with a retort dying on my lips. Idiot, I huffed internally. Urgh. Turning the phone off for good this time and tossing it in my bag, it occurred to me to be thankful that he'd warned me about the police...Holy freakin' shit I'm avoiding the law oh crap this is bad shit shit shit!

The weight of the situation settled even more heavily on my shoulders. My head thunked back onto the container as I groaned, lungs rapidly sucking in air as I tried to control my sudden heavy breathing. Avoiding the law was serious. I couldn't just call them and say, 'hey. I'm not missing. Stop trying to find me.' I was pretty sure they'd want me to come in to prove I wasn't kidnapped or something. I didn't have time for it. These little lights had to get home as soon as possible, as I had no idea on how to take care of them. Honestly, I was lucky I hadn't done anything wrong yet. I owed that yellow one. He said to keep them safe.

"Damndamndamn," I muttered, watching the glow dance and reflect across the metal edges as the orbs spun slowly.

I could call and try to explain and see if that would work. Or, I could continue on and save time. It would be less likely of the Decepticons finding out about these guys anyways. Who knew if they were following me? It would be easier and safer for me to do this on my own.

Another groan, "I'm avoiding the police. This sucks." There was no going back from this. I almost always did the right thing and followed the rules. But the situation called for a different action. Life just _had_ to make this difficult, didn't it?

* * *

"Are you sure the signal is moving?" Red optics watched the darkly colored cybertronian with a severe gaze.

"Affirmative. Two signals of low strength. Direction of movement: West." droned an empty and metallic voice from not three feet away, at the elbows of the gray behemoth. The glare deepened as the optical sensors lit up, casting darker shadows across the cruel planes of the face. Providing the wrong information to your lord and master resulted in punishment. Harsh punishment.

Turning sharply away from the lit monitors to settle himself lazily on his throne, the leader of the Decepticons stared into space thinking. Around him, the other crimson eyed soldiers kept half their attention on their work and half on their master, in case he suddenly did something drastic. It wouldn't be the first time and it payed with your life to be cautious. In the dank and dim throne room, Megatron suddenly spoke, throwing out harsh words into the oppressive citadel.

"The Autobots are not stupid enough to turn the cloaking sensors attached to their spark chambers off." It wasn't a question and silence echoed around the room as no one answered. Who would want to speak up? The only sounds were distant clangs and creaks of machinery and metal while sharp clawed digits tapped keys.

"Soundwave. Find out who is the cause of those spark signals and bring them to me." He ordered in a supreme tone as the tape recorder gave a short bow with a 'yes lord megatron'. "And when Starscream is finished in his lab, have him take the pulse cannons to the mountains. This plan will take time and I am not a patient mech."

The warlord lounged back onto his chair as his chief Communications Officer left the shadowy room to fulfill his tasks. The distant sounds of talking and rough laughter did nothing to help the violent quiet that submerged the base as the doors opened and closed. A cruel smile graced the Decepticon's features as he plotted his conquest and rule. The Autobots would die. Even if he had to pick them off one by one.

The Autobots would fall, but most especially, the Prime.

* * *

Perhaps to make up for the rough morning and noon, the rest of the day was surprisingly peaceful. Still heading West, we made good time and only had one mishap. I'd taken a wrong turn and ended up going down an old dirt road with trees lining the right side and a cornfield on the left.

I stopped to check my map again and noticed two little girls peering out from the stalks. Both had dirty-blonde hair and wore no shoes. I frowned thinking it wasn't quite warm enough but they just giggled when they caught me looking at them. The taller of the two shoved her hands in the pockets of her overalls while staring at me with hazel eyes. While I was terrible with age, I guessed them to be eleven and maybe thirteen. Stalks rustled as the shorter blue-eyed munchkin started a hop-scotch game in and out of the tall plants.

A quick question and they easily told me how to get back to the main road. I gave them an apple (the last bit of fruit I had with me) and suddenly found myself getting hugged by the children. Just as quickly, they dashed back into the cornfield laughing. I called after them to be careful approaching strangers but got no response save for some giggles.

Smiling slightly, I climbed back into the old truck and started off, wondering if they were manitou. A nice thought to save for later. The day quickly shifted to night and before I knew it Sunday morning arrived over my head bright and chilly.

"You guys are jumpy today." I spoke out loud for the first time in hours as my fingertips brushed against the glass. For the last hour Mischief had been bouncing around like a maniac and was driving Sullen nuts. A quick question from me and a tingly feeling swept through my insides. Mischief was _bored._ And to a smaller extent, so was Sullen. Although he seemed more annoyed at his friend at the moment. And yes, I had decided they were male. Why? Because. They just seemed male and I wasn't even sure if they had genders.

I frowned in thought. How do you keep little glowy lights from being bored? They seemed a bit like little kids, as impatient and hyperactive as they were. Although that was another unfair assumption. How was I even supposed to tell their ages? No one gave me instructions for this.

Not knowing how to help, I pushed out an apology and a vague thought akin to a shrug. At least it seemed easier to tell how they were feeling now. With each emotion sent back and forth, it was clearer to understand. That was considered good in my book. Although distracting, I thought, as I pulled my right hand back to the steering wheel and kept a sharp eye on the crazy drivers ahead of me. At least all the practice made me a better driver. Not that it helped when there was tons of traffic.

My food was officially all gone. Taking a rest in the little city we had found ourselves in had gotten higher on my priority list along with stocking up on more food. Sharp rumblings in my midsection outweighed the objections from my head that muttered about using saved money. But food won, as it usually did. Especially warm food.

How to lure out a wild Shay: tempt with hot food and a comfy bed. Oh man, I needed more sleep.

Parking by some buildings set in a curve, I entered the bakery and stood in line before making a large order. Returning and settling in again to wait, I thumbed the cylinder and got a pang of frustration and worry. A wince found it's way across my face. It seemed these guys had taken to getting upset if I wasn't nearby. Don't ask how they knew when I was near them or not, I don't know. But the situation was concerning. I'd only been out of the vehicle ten minutes.

With a sigh, I hugged the container tightly. My arms wrapped around the metal and glass as I sent as much reassurance as I could muster. Silly little lights seemed to think I'd just leave them.

"I'm not going anywhere, I swear. You will be okay." My murmuring was interrupted.

"Hey lady. Pretty thing ya got there. What is it?"

I startled and looked up to find a young man nearby. Seventeen or eighteen, he stood watching my cargo with a curious look. My window was down because the day had warmed a bit and this gave him a clear view of what I was holding. Behind him, two guys of only slightly older age were goofing off and sauntered over with an easy swagger. The oldest with the hat set an elbow on the youngest's shoulder. My eyes narrowed. I did not like three to one odds.

"Nothing to concern you." My lips curled up the barest bit as I used my stone voice, devoid of inflections.

The second young man appeared upset with a pout sliding over his features, "Hey, we're just curious."

He tipped his orange baseball cap over sparkling green eyes. Their stance set my inner alarms off. I slowly pushed the cylinder down were it couldn't be seen and pulled the knife from my jacket. The stone mask turned to ice, silently promising pain.

"Leave."

The youngest tipped back on his heels while the third one with torn up shoes merely raised an eyebrow. A snarl rumbled it's way out of my throat and I leaned a little ways out of the opening in the vehicle to point my blade. They backed up a bit more, although Baseball cap snorted.

"Feral bitch. We were just looking." They turned, walking off and around the corner while I rolled my window up and stashed the knife back into the pocket of my light jacket. Feral bitch I could do, as long as they weren't here. Although it wasn't very mature of me to growl, was it? It was nothing personal and they hadn't done anything wrong. But I didn't want anyone to mess with these spheres and they could have been a threat. Even if they were just curious.

Watching the outside world like a hawk, I made sure the doors were locked and sat in the back, hugging the container. Feelings of determination and possessiveness sprung from me. They were mine to protect.

Outside the sky turned toward hazy oranges and purples as the sun sank lower. Soon it would be time for dinner before finding a place to crash for the night. Today...hadn't been bad. I had food coming, the flickering orbs with me, no injuries, and nothing much had happened. If I was being honest, then today hadn't been bad at all. We'd made it pretty far. Maybe thinks would be okay after all.

I should have known better. I'd been around long enough to know luck doesn't work like that. The one time I thought like a naive fool, it all went down hill.

* * *

_One curiously thought about the Other's feelings. This one was the light she had dubbed 'Mischief'. Not that the orb knew that or would have cared. Names didn't hold much meaning in this place._

_The other one, 'Sullen', was paying attention too. The Other had been reassuring them, comforting them when something happened. They had felt the worry, tension, and aggression suddenly hanging there as taunt wires stretched to the breaking point. And then nothing before the Other was there again. Slightly calmer but not by much._

_Possessive. Protection. Irritation. Worry. Fear._

_It was odd. Normally the emotions picked up from the Other were low key, like a soft static. Not nearly as __**there**_,_ as provident as their emotions were._

_Now the Other's feelings were raging full force. The Other wasn't mad at them, they could tell. But something was wrong and now the Other was upset again._

_Tentatively, Mischief sent out a quiet feeling._

_It will be okay__, the emotion seemed to say without words._

_The Other calmed a little more but the protectiveness didn't disappear. Instead it got stronger. Mischief and Sullen, in vague thoughts, conferred on this new development. How much would they trust the Other?_


	11. Chapter 11

Fight scene music: Skillet- Monster

* * *

A few hours had past and I roamed around the large town looking for a place to rest. Eventually I stopped outside a few stores and went to buy fruit. Climbing back in, I sent the white orbs a quick warning that I would be right back and unlocked the front two doors. Warm night air and the city smell of exhaust, fried food and distant smoke greeted me as I got back out. Walking up to the trash can, I tossed in my bag from the bakery and went back. There weren't a whole ton of vehicles around here, and not a lot of people either. Maybe I could just stay here tonight. A cold front had moved in during the evening but I would be warm enough with my jackets and blanket.

Climbing in with one knee on the driver's seat, I rubbed the cylinder to tell the lights I was back. Mischief greeted me happily while Sullen grudgingly noted my presence. A quick smirk flashed across my face for a second. He would warm up to me eventually.

Behind me, I could hear footsteps. Immediately my hackles were up. I did not like people sneaking up on me. Paranoia, that is your cue. Turning around and straightening, I saw the same three guys who had bothered me earlier. Warning bells went off in my head. My body stilled as I thought of my options.

Three to one are bad odds. Baseball bat was under the back seats and it would take too long to get it. They'd rush me. Slingshot in the drivers door. But it was a ranged weapon and they were less than five feet from me. That left the knife that had been returned to the inner pocket of my jacket. Three to one odds and I had a blade. They knew this and could have weapons as well. Shit.

My body froze as my breathing picked up and I kept a mask on to hide my fear. Ragged Shoes looked bored but the other two were smiling. This isn't good, I thought frantically.

"Hey, you remember us." A statement instead of a question from Baseball cap who seemed to be leading now. Sweat gleamed on my brow as I kept my hands down at my sides by the open door. Staring at him, I didn't move.

He frowned when there wasn't a reaction, "Why don't you give us that thing you had earlier. It seemed real pretty. We don't want any trouble now."

"Well, you found trouble." My reply was out of my mouth before I could think. In some situations there are only certain options. Fight or flight and I couldn't run. That would mean leaving the lights. The locks on the doors weren't automatic, so I'd have to manually hit the buttons on both doors if I chanced locking myself in the truck. What were the chances I could get in, close the door and hit both locks before they grabbed me?They were very close. And what if they had a gun? If they had such a weapon then I was screwed no matter what choice I made.

Apparently they found my statement funny. With the parking lot lights shining just behind them and the last light of day fading, they laughed and walked closer. Baseball cap's chuckles sent shivers of fear down my spine. Adrenaline spiked in my veins while a numb feeling spread through my core.

Perhaps I should mention now, I normally try to keep myself separate from situations. The more I'm pushed, the less I react. A good defense mechanism that usually works.

"Come on now. Hand it over. Bet it's worth something." They edged even closer as the leader spread his hands to the side, showing empty palms. As if I would believe that. Just because you're hands hold no weapons doesn't mean you don't have a blade on you.

I don't normally get really mad. It takes a lot and only certain things actually get to me. Do I get annoyed? All the time. But I rarely get truly angry.

Faced with a threat, the emptiness stirred inside. I felt light headed, a buzz under my skin but still I stood unmoving. Something started burning down below. Let this end well.

Out of the corner of my eye, I noted the youngest edging toward my door and the sparks. He was way to close. Oh no you don't. Suddenly I lunged to the side and threw a punch at his head. The blond teen stumbled back to avoid the blow and fell over on the cold pavement, his backside whacking the ground. Before I could so much as turn my head, hands pinned my arms to my side. Cold and distant panic enveloped my core as the faintest whispers of fury started to rise. A snarl ripped it's way out of my mouth.

Baseball cap slammed a fist into my gut and the air left my lungs in a whoosh. As I gasped to fill them again, Ragged Shoes struggled to get his arms around me, trying to keep me from fighting back. Still kicking, I managed to squirm enough to pull my knife out and nicked my captors hand as we twisted and thrashed. Physically being this close to people was setting panic and anger alight.

"Rrrrraaaaahhhh!" I howled and another punch to the gut brought stinging to my eyes. No! NO! Anger rose inside as I bellowed and tried to bite. Leaning forward, I almost managed to headbutt Baseball cap but his accomplice jerked me back at the last second. He clawed for the knife while holding me against him. How Dare You!

I gave an ear piercing shriek of rage, "LET GO!" I Will Rip You Up! The numbing cold had left by now and was replaced by a burning. How Dare They Think They Could Do This To Me.

Only a few seconds had passed. As much as I knew this, it seemed like longer. Nothing existed now but blood, pain and rage. It's hard to be scared when you're so angry. They would pay. If only I could get loose, I'd use my knife to maim them them from head to toe. But Ragged Shoes held me with steel limbs and crushed dirty fingers around my hand. My hold loosened and he ripped the knife from me. Thrashing, I struggled to ignore the pain and sickening sound of fists hitting my ribs. They were laughing, content to just hold me still and beat the shit out of me.

Your mind can only keep track of so many things at once. I had forgotten the youngest looking one. It nearly cost me.

* * *

_The Other usually warned them when the Other was going to pull away. The Other was there and then suddenly gone. Mischief and Sullen felt uneasy and wondered if something was wrong. A brief pause and then they felt the presence of Another One. With this one came a riot of emotions they didn't like._

_Greed. A sickening sort of joy._

_It was like a high almost. Doing something bad and knowing you would get away with it. But they wouldn't let Another One get away. Panic and fear at their helpless state held prevalence, but they were fighters. Anger was there and they sent pain to Another One._

_Another One felt the pain and thought it was it's own. There was shock and then nothing as Another One pulled back. But for how long?_

_They were scared and angry. Another One was still nearby. And were was the Other? Both reached out._

* * *

Anger, adrenaline, and pain raged through me. I was going to lose. There wasn't any options that would help me out of this.

_Snap._

_Fear. Panic. Anger._

I'd gotten used to telling my emotions from the spheres. Right now, I could feel them. They were in danger.

Something way deep down roared.

Everything seemed to click as my surroundings lost a haze I'd never noticed before. It became clearer. Not that I cared. All that mattered was the need to rip and shred. Defend them. They cannot be harmed.

_**Rip You. Tear.**_

I surged, reaching behind me as I turned and grabbed the man by his coat. Heaving, he was tossed to the side with a violent throw that ended with him crashing into the pavement. I wasn't that strong and therefore, shouldn't have been able to throw him. That didn't matter at the time.

_**Threat. Die.**_

Hardly thinking, I lunged forward and snagged Baseball cap on either side of his head. He was taller than me but I latched on while he tried to land a blow to my face. Berserker fury smashed itself around in a cyclone inside me, demanding to be let out.

_**How Dare You!**_

Yanking him down, my knee came up and a crunch was heard as it connected with his nose.

_**They Are Mine To Protect. You Will Pay!**_

The man was down and forgotten. Thoughts ran red as my vision centered on the youngest. He was halfway in the vehicle and backing out. A bellow of rage split the late evening air like a beast's claws slice flesh.

I couldn't remember moving. But my hands were fisted in his heavy jacket as I ripped him back and away from my lights. Die threat.

_**Do You Know What You Have Done!? I Will Tear You Apart And Scatter Your Ashes!**_

Wave after wave of burning pain and fury pour out of me. Nothing matters. Destroy the offender.

He smacked into the ground as a harsh kick to the face and middle had him curling up and shrieking in pain. You deserve worse. Scum. How Dare You.

"...-Bastard! How Dare You Try To Harm Them!" I was shouting aloud without noticing the words tearing from my throat, lungs heaving in gasps. Pressure filled me up and poured out as I screamed at him. Pinned down, I tore at him. Hitting his face and chest, leaving scratched and damaged flesh. Blood stained my fingers.

_**Slaughter.**_

I could still feel their fear, just as they could feel my rage. Mine to Protect. How dare you threaten them.

_**I Will Destroy You!**_

The boy's cries of pain and terror fell to deaf ears and meant nothing. They were ignored, just as my warning to them earlier was ignored. If it was a threat, it had to be dealt with. Behind me, I heard the sounds of movement. The other two men were running. They didn't even try to help their friend.

_**Threats. Chase. Hunt them down.**_

Howling. Murderous intent scratched it's way out of my vocal cords as I lunged up and ran after them. But they were past the edge of the lot and I couldn't leave the spheres unguarded. They were still upset.

"I Will Slaughter You!" My rant thundered through the dark town air, "Your Bodies Will Be Torn and Burned. Pray For Mercy Because I Will Give You None!"

A sharp turn showed the last assailant dashing off, taking the opportunity to escape in the opposite direction. As long as they were gone and the lights safe, I didn't care. Simmering and boiling inside, I stalked to the blue vehicle and peered at my cargo. Both orbs were there. Spinning much faster than normal but there. Safe. Letting out a breath of relief, I sent what soothing emotions I could muster.

_It's alright.__ Safe._

And then the rage was gone, like strings cut from a puppet. Slumping in the seats, I jerked the door shut and hit the lock buttons a little more forcefully than normal. Oh my god. What the hell did I just do?! Shit shit bloody shit...

I would have killed them...

The thought hit me like a ton of cement. I would have killed somebody. How...how, what? How could I have just done that? I hurt them, so badly. And I would have, I really would have taken their lives. Oh god. A whine slid out of my sore throat.

Damnit! This isn't right! My hand came up to cover my mouth as terror once again got it's grip on me. But the smell of blood got stronger and I jerked them down in disgust. I'd never gotten that bad before! Sure, I'd let myself get angry once in a while. But not like this! The worst I'd ever done was break that guy's leg. Normally I would yell and maybe punch a wall, but I'd never lost it enough to actually think about murdering someone! The last time I'd lost my temper had been nearly two years ago. This doesn't make any sense! What just happened?! What the hell did I just do?!

_Comfort._

They were picking up on my fear. But I wasn't touching the cylinder. Rubbing my face with filthy hands, I looked down at them tiredly. How could I feel them or vice versa if I wasn't touching the container? Can this day just end? I'd gotten beat up, went psycho, lost my knife to some jackass, and now this.

Two deep breaths to try to regain my calm and then I settled the container as close to my seat as possible. Buckling up and checking that everything was okay, I adjusted the rear-view mirror with trembling hands and noticed something odd. Pale pale eyes staring back.

Slowly, ever so slowly, I reached up and blinked. Nothing felt out of the ordinary. But I _knew_ the irises of my eyes weren't that white. Even as I watched, the paleness was fading until they were my regular old gray over blue. I let out a shaky breath and shoved everything down.

Delayed shock. I was good at that. I couldn't put up with anything else today. Just...deal with it later.

Everything ached. As the adrenaline wore off I realized I needed sleep. Starting up, the headlights were flicked on and within a moment I was across the sprawling town. At one point I'd heard sirens but saw no vehicles following me. Perhaps it had nothing to do with me at all. Shakily, I drove and drove in winding paths, looking and discarding each place I found. I had to stop soon, to sleep and make sure I wasn't bleeding. Shouldn't I have done that before? It occurred to me that maybe I wasn't thinking straight. It didn't matter just then. I had to find a safe place.

Do what you have to do. Keep going. Deal with it later.

Time of some unknown amount passed as we wandered up and down sparse and crowded streets in the small city. As the night lights flashed down on us, illuminating the interior before fading, the glowing orbs kept sending emotions my way. Mainly comforting ones each time my control started slipping and the maelstrom inside surged up. I was so tired and scared damnit.

Finally I just pulled into the entrance of a shadowed alley between some brick buildings and turned off the engine out of habit. Slumping over the steering wheel, exhaustion creeped around me and almost every part of my body thrummed, aching. It was like I was one big bruise. My mind started to drift as I inhaled the scent of pine and apples. I loved how the inside of the truck smelled...

'Knock knock'

Startled at the unexpected sound, I jerked into a sitting position to find an older woman cautiously rapping her knuckles on my driver side window. Just behind her, a shorter man peered into the interior of my borrowed vehicle. I blinked at them in surprise.

Huh? Oh right, I was falling asleep. People. People outside, I should say something. What do they want? To my muzzy head, it seemed that asking these people why they were waking me up was a good idea.

Rolling the window down an inch and letting in a whoosh of chilly air, I leaned over a little, "Uh, yes?"

Damn, my voice sounded bad. All that screaming and bellowing had done a real number on my throat. It felt like fire was burning it and my words came out as a rasping croak. I swallowed and winced as the pain increased slightly.

The woman licked her lips nervously, "You ah...Are you alright?"

I blinked again. My pain and sleep addled mind wasn't giving me any options on how to respond. Autopilot seemed like a good idea. Faintly, just past the edges of my mind, the buzz from the lights nudged me. They were trying to help and wake me up, but the shock was keeping me numb.

"I'-m fiiin-e." My reply was jumbled as I shivered. It was cold, even with the truck having warmed up the closed off space. My body temperature had dropped too low, making it feel like it was freezing. I hate the cold.

The woman's expression turned determined, I think. It was hard to tell in my dazed state and with all of us being out of reach from the street lights. Brunette hair bouncing, she leaned in with thinned lips. Hazel eyes from an olive skinned face bore into mine. Not sure what else to do, I just stared back. The edges of my vision were started to blur and turn black.

"We need to take her to the hospital. She's barely awake. Look at the blood on her." She turned to the man behind her. He responded while I tried to understand her words. Blood, right. There was blood on my face because I had rubbed it. Hospital...fixing. Right. Someone would help me, because I was injured. But...something wasn't right. I couldn't go there.

Why? Something important. Tired, so tired. I need sleep. Just sitting there was nice though, and I started to drift again.

"We shouldn't get near her. What if she attacks us? She could be with a gang." My gaze had slowly moved away while the middle-aged man tried to pull the woman back. Her words finally registered in my hazy brain.

"Hos-pital...I..can't go the-re." They would see the orbs. They would take them away. I couldn't allow that to happen. I had to stay away. Stay away.

"Not safe." Mumbled words left stinging lips.

The couple argued just outside the doors but nothing really registered anymore. Oh, my head hurt. Pain ravaged my entire being in waves as I once again closed my eyes. Distant words and phrases of 'hurt' and 'covered in-' faded in and out of my hearing, the sounds so distant and distorted. More tapping on my window. I cracked an eye open to look at the woman as she tried the handle.

"...-hear me? Honey, we're going to try to help. Can you open the door? Can you hear me?" Worried. I didn't need to be awake to catch the fear underscoring her soft voice.

Open the door. They want in. They want to help?

No, don't. Don't trust them. They could hurt us. They could hurt all of us.

Two presences pushed and nudged me again, somewhere in my head. The lights were upset, scared and confused. Keep them safe. Don't let anyone near.

I can't stay in here forever, a distant thought. I had to take a chance that they really would help me. There wasn't really a choice. As much as I wanted so desperately to make them go away, I didn't have the strength for it. I needed help, even if I didn't was to admit it.

Forcing myself to wake up a little more, my fingers found the unlock button and shook as I pushed it down. A loud 'click' as the lock shot up and the woman opened the truck. My eyes were having trouble staying open, leaving me to stare at her unsteadily.

"Here honey, we're going to help. Alright?" She brushed thick hair back and tried to gently pull me from the seat, the man at her side lending a hand.

I squirmed, making the pain flare all over, "Wait."

A croak as I turned to grab the container with scrambling digits. They couldn't be left alone. My fingers left more streaks of dark and drying red on the metal and glass. Oh right. Blood on hands, from hitting those guys.

With arms to support me, I slid out into the empty night and stood trembling. The couple stood next to me in the alley, broken glass and some trash littering the ground. My legs didn't want to support me after all the abuse they'd already been put through tonight and shivers wracked my body. Cold, so cold. At least moving seemed to make staying conscious easier. With arms hugging the container to my chest, I knew I looked pathetic. At least the large cylinder was light. Thank goodness for alien tech because I didn't think I could have carried it otherwise at that point.

They looked startled at what I was carrying and then ignored it. The man pulled back to grab my bag and keys before locking the vehicle. They pulled me toward a car, only ten feet away down the street. Paranoia kicked in and I struggled and stumbled to a halt. No. No way. Not going with them. Do not go in strange care with strange people.

"Easy sweety. It's okay. We're just going to the hospital. They'll help. It's okay." Her eyes flickered to my cargo with a concerned look and then to my face as the woman tried to soothe me. Wisely, the man kept his distance. Breathing heavily, I shook my head 'no' rapidly. The pain in my chest got worse and moving my head made me dizzy.

"No...hospital. Not safe." My teeth chattered as I dug my feet into the pavement. It was freezing. Oh, I hate being cold.

The older couple exchanged glances, "Okay, no hospital. Maybe...?" They seemed to confer. Vehemently, the man shook his head.

"No. That is not safe for us. She could kill us in our sleep." He looked at me warily, as I stood there fighting my daze.

"Do you see her?!" Hazel eyes woman hissed at him angrily, "She's injured and half asleep! I don't think she could hurt us even if she wanted to!" She pointed a finger at me and I flinched on reflex as in came within inches of my face.

Why couldn't the world leave me alone for a few minutes, an hour?, "Just want sleep." I needed sleep. Couldn't they see that? It seemed obvious to me.

The man and woman conversed silently with their eyes and gestures until he sighed, "Okay. But if she pulls a weapon, I'm calling the department."

Staring, I tried to understand what was going on. I didn't have a weapon. I'd lost one and the others were in the truck. The olive skinned lady gently took my elbow.

"Come on. If you really don't want to see a doctor, even though you look so banged up..."

"Low blood sugar...and bruises." It felt like a few broken bones as well but I wasn't going to admit that. Show no weakness to those you don't trust. I had to trust them, a little, but that didn't mean have complete faith in strangers.

"You can come to our house and sleep. We have a guest room. And you can call the police tomorrow after you rest." I nodded even though I had no intention of doing so. Slowly I allowed them to help me to their vehicle. The man put my keys in my bag and set it in the back seats. After studying me closely for a second with wary dark eyes, he moved so I could climb in. The woman got in next to me and pulled a first aid kit out from under the seats. She took off her light coat and started bandaging the the lower right side of my neck. Apparently it had started bleeding again. Starting the engine, the vehicle pulled away and we left my truck behind.

* * *

_To say they were concerned would be an understatement. They had reached out to the Other and felt a tsunami wave of rage bear down upon them. Sullen and Mischief struggled to keep it from affecting them and mostly succeeded. They were used to dealing with fury._

_But with that much emotion, from the Other, they knew things had to be bad. It was blind violence. Something they hadn't felt from the Other before._

_The Another One was gone. Then the Other was trying to comfort them when the rage left. It was replaced by horror, fear, and pain. Both pulled back a little at the whiplash of emotions. They didn't like these things at all._

_Comfort_

_Both of them sent this, but it didn't do much. The Other still had panic and hurt coming off in waves. Then exhaustion came._

_Worry. Fear. Tired. Scared. Tired. Worry._

_A loop that played over and over. They didn't like these emotions. Was the Other still in trouble? They could feel the Other's pain._

_Numb._

_Sullen jerked back when a numbing cold slid through the Other and to them. It was bad. That crawling sting that left nothing in it's wake. Mischief turned to Sullen and tugged. They would fight this._

_Warily, Sullen pushed against the bad feelings with the other light. They shoved through the Other's emotions and gave off peace, comfort, and the feeling of safety._

_It will be okay._

_They would make sure of it._

* * *

The couple didn't ask me my name and I didn't ask theirs. We had arrived at a simple little house on the edge of the suburbs and they helped me into the kitchen. Wiping the blood off with a wet towel, the woman realized that I wasn't bleeding to death and didn't actually have a lot of cuts. That information calmed her down and I reminded her that I was crashing from lack of sleep and pain, not wounds. They gave me some pain killers and I took what was offered but put them in my pocket instead of swallowing. The husband noticed but didn't seem offended.

Leaving me in their simple furnished guest room, the first thing I checked was the wooden door for a lock. None on the outside but a dead bolt on the interior. After sliding it over, I stripped off my filthy clothes and painfully pulled on a too large shirt. I felt bad that I'd be sleeping on clean sheets while I wasn't exactly washed myself, but I was too tired to care. Deal with it tomorrow.

I collapsed on the bed and pulled the container up with me. If the couple wasn't going to hurt me, we were good. Unless they decided to call someone to come get me. But I would worry later. My mind and body had been trying to shut down for the last who knows how many hours. When was the last time I had sleep?

Yesterday night? I think. I'd only gotten six hours of sleep then and seven the night before. I'd slept earlier. Many many hours ago. I was too tired to do the math. So tired...

Blackness cloaked my vision.

* * *

_The Glitch Mob - Between Two Points_

_The Other was sleeping, but it wasn't a good sleep. They felt the Other just out of reach, fear and worry emanating. The bad emotions were still there, just dulled now. Both lights could feel the Other twitching and in pain. Mischief reached and latched on..._

_Pain. Worry. Disjointed images._

_Vague colors and thoughts as the Other startled slightly at the light's touch. The Other was scared and trying to hide it, even in partial sleep. Mischief turned to Sullen and tugged. They could help._

_Sullen seemed to puff up, as much as a light could puff up. Although in this place, they weren't so much lights as they were a presence. The Other started to fade back away. Mischief bumped into Sullen and they seemed to argue briefly before Mischief nuzzled the other one and went after the Other._

* * *

_I was drifting, somewhere. Somewhere?_

_And then someone was pulling me. It didn't occur to me to question how I was being tugged along when I couldn't feel my limbs. But the one pulling me felt like Mischief. I allowed myself to be led. Just this once._

_It was a dark warm place. That's all I knew. And Sullen was there. He wasn't exactly happy that I was here, but Mischief somehow gave him a hug before settling down to rest. I didn't bother trying to understand what was going on._

_Safe. Sleep._

_Mischief gave off warm thoughts to reassure me before starting his slumber. The less happy light bristled and sent the feeling of irritation and suspicion at me. I 'huffed' at him and sent back annoyance. I was not in the mood to deal with his crap. I was tired damnit. Ignoring him, I slid down to rest as well. Maybe I didn't have limbs after all. Everything was a blurred and vague sense. Sullen grumbled when I no longer acknowledged his presence and then settled as well._

_Poke._

_He nudged me in an annoyed sort of way. Without fingers or hands, I gave him a light whap which caused him to startle. Mischief edged up to me and curled around me a bit. I 'watched' that which was Sullen and then started to drift into a deeper sleep._

_The other light finally relaxed a bit and curled on me as well. Tangled together, the constant fear that had been plaguing me left, and we drew safety from one another. In the dark warm place, we slept._

* * *

Author's note: All of them resting together is one of the original scenes from when I first started plotting out everything and is one of my favorites. Also, tough chapter for Shay. Poor woman.

Review and let me know what you guys think.


	12. Chapter 12

music: Michael Maas - Bittersweet

* * *

The morning dawned and shined it's obnoxious rays right into my slightly bruised face. Several seconds of bewilderment passed as I surveyed the strange room and then groaned as I remembered yesterday evening and last night. Urgh. Stupid sun. I hadn't closed the curtain over the window the night before because I hadn't even thought about it. Moaning and moving slowly, my body ached as I sat up. A wince flashed it's way across my face as I peeled my cheek from the pillow. Oooohhh, I do not feel good.

Yawning, I looked sleepily at the glowing orbs in the glass resting against my side. What a funny dream. It had been nice, so relaxing to just rest and feel safe. I'd no idea that constantly being on guard for the whole trip so far had left such a toll on me until last night.

'Knock knock'

A quick flashback and a sense of deja vu skittered across my skin as someone quietly tapped on the wooden door. Hissing at the bruising aches, I stood and stumbled my way over and pulled back the deadbolt with a clink. Carefully peering out showed only the woman from last night standing there with her hands on her hips. Opening the door wider, I tried to wake myself up some more and stand straight. I really wanted to lean on the door frame. Or go back to sleep. Whichever was easier.

After a few bleary blinks I finally spoke, "...Hello." My voice was still rough but sounded better than it had been. And only a slight bit of soreness pervaded my throat.

The dark haired woman just smiled, "I tried to wake you earlier but only heard snoring." Her voice sounded pretty, smooth and soft.

"I don't snore." I looked at her in surprise. At least no one had ever told me I snored. How was I supposed to know for sure when I was the one sleeping?

The older woman's white teeth gleamed, "Oh, I was joking. I actually didn't hear anything when I knocked earlier. Nice bed-head though." Her lips stretched wider and then she laughed while I put my hand up to my hair. It was a nice sound and I relaxed a little only to tense up.

"Um...thank you, for letting me sleep here. I'm afraid the sheets aren't clean now." My eyes glanced guiltily back into the room. I was sure there was dirt and probably other nasty gunk there. Who knows what all was on my clothes after that fight...

"Oh, don't worry about it." She waved her hand in a shooing gesture, "They'll get a wash. And you should get one too. Bathroom is right across the hall. Why don't you get cleaned up and dressed. I have breakfast in the kitchen...Unless you need clean clothes?" The woman paused, hazel eyes studying me.

My head shook sharply, "No, no. It's okay. There's some in my bag. It's...uh... thanks for grabbing it."

"Okay then. You get washed, dressed and come eat." She turned and started down the carpeted hall as I pursed my lips.

"I'm not a kid." Oh, why did I just say that? I probably offended her. Crap, that wasn't very considerate of me.

Surprisingly, laughter floated back, "I know honey. But everyone needs breakfast."

Huh. That was...interesting. Rubbing the sleep from my eyes, I retreated into the guest room and quickly grabbed my bag. After pulling out some cleaner clothes and picking up the cylinder, I tiptoed across the hall. Pushing open the door with my foot yielded an empty bathroom. I set everything down on the floor, and closed and locked the entry behind me. Then asked the universe why it was being nice.

Question it later. Yes later, when I was not filthy and had food in my empty pit of a gut. A glance in the mirror to the right revealed I did indeed have a bed-head. Hurmph, I could fix that. Greeting the lights briefly, I turned on the water and stripped. It was odd really, how I still didn't need to be touching the glass to feel them. Better to just roll with it. There weren't any problems because of this, so just let it slide.

The lights were happier this morning too. I was covered in bruises, my chest felt like it was on fire and I was really hungry; but they were happy and I was feeling much better. This was good.

I climbed in and hissed at the spray of warm water as it stung me. Annoyance worked it's way into my expression as I inspected myself. Oh joy. Blue, purple, gray?, more blue, oh that one's greenish. Yup, lots of bruises. The bandage on my neck came off when it got wet and I sighed as I felt the scratch running across the skin. I hadn't even felt the cut when it had happened. Shallow scrapes marred my midsection and legs. My bottom left lip felt swollen and every little movement sent pain down my rib cage. The only good things out of all of this was my throat didn't hurt as much and my ankle wasn't any worse. The skin there was pretty much all healed up. Hurray for small gifts.

A sigh of contentment slid past my lips and echoed slightly on the partially tiled walls as I scrubbed myself off. The water relaxed my muscles and I decided then and there that warm showers were heaven. I just had to figure out if the universe was trying to make up for yesterday's antics or if this was all a trap. And there's the paranoia...

Sullen poked me, questioning why I was feeling so content. Closing my eyes against the moisture, I dredged up all the warmth and blissful sensations I was getting from the water. It brushed against them and I could swear I felt something akin to a purr (or at least a light rumble) answer. Great, now they were cats. Snickering, I started rubbing shampoo into my scalp. Seriously, since when did mentally picking up emotions become normal? If this had happened a week ago then I probably would have been startled and not just a little scared.

It was a strange sensation I had gradually gotten used to over the last few days, yet the feeling was completely different than anything I'd ever felt. Unlike a physical touch, the emotions crept inside like a subtle shadow. There was boredom, I felt bored, but it was not from me. The closest I could explain was it had a tinge to it that gave away the presence of Mischief.

Speaking of, I had yet to find out what had caused the change in our communication. During a fight was not a good time to suddenly play 'mix up' with the rules. Unless it was because we were all in danger?

"Did you guys even do that on purpose, or are you as confused as I am?"

No reaction to my quiet whisper as I rinsed and got out. Now cleansed, my bruises stood in stark contrast with soft flesh. I had to turn the water on again to wash the diluted dirt and blood down the drain. With everything back where it was supposed to be, the bathroom looked just like it had been before with only the addition of warm steamy air.

Sighing out of habit, I tapped my fingers along the container as it rested on the floor. Mischief tagged along the invisible trails left by my hand and then spun in exuberant circles. Sullen remained steadfast near the center, projecting determined annoyance as if to state, 'I will not have anything to do with this idiocy'. It seemed someone didn't want to play.

"Ready to get some grub?" Sullen suddenly swished right up to the glass separating him from my hand and the outside world and then lunged back to the middle as if he'd never left. It was like a sleeping feline had nipped at me before retreating. A snort blew it's way out of my nose as the other sphere bounced faster, perhaps trying to prove he could do better. I just rolled my eyes and pulled on my once again last pair of clean clothes.

"Showoffs"

These guys were so weird. Either way, to the kitchen we went. After leaving my packed bag situated in the guest room, I crept down the hall with the cylinder under one arm. It was slightly awkward to ferry, being so large to me, but they weren't being left to themselves. Nope, not even in a most likely safe house with some friendly people. Strangers were strangers.

Not wearing my boots was the only precaution I didn't take. They had grime and a little dried mud on them, so I couldn't very well walk on the carpeted floor. So barefoot, wet haired, and carrying a very odd container; I crossed a simple wood paneled living room to the tiled kitchen I'd been in last night. This was a weird morning. I felt a twinge of guilt for the older couple.

The woman was putting bread in a toaster and looked up as I froze by the door frame, "Ah honey, I'll get a towel for you're hair. It's gotten so cold this morning." She bustled past me and into another room before I could say anything.

"That's unnecessary. I'm fine."

I tried to dissuade her when she returned with a fluffy orange towel. Ignoring my protest, the woman guided me to seat next to the marble top island and put the cloth on my damp head. Not knowing what else to do, I set my jar-like cargo down by my feet and wrapped the tangerine thing around my hair to bring out the moisture.

The husband sat across the tabletop and glanced over his paper while eating syruped toast and what smelled like strong coffee. I studied the both of them and the room. It was quite a pretty kitchen. Sunlight poured in from the skylight above and lit the chamomile scented space while the wife checked the toaster again and got out a jug of milk. The only sounds came from the hum of a refrigerator and a passing vehicle outside. Silverware plinked against a ceramic plate. Glancing toward the stove, I found it was almost ten a.m. A surreal feeling of being in someone else's kitchen left a bite of unease under my skin.

Hazel eyes that seemed neither very green nor very brown watched everything in the kitchen sharply and ignored my stillness. Darker pigmented skin with thick hair and fine lips made me think the woman would have fit in on a Mediterranean island. Looking only in her late-forties, it was evident that the woman was still beautiful and the crow's feet just starting to show on her face only gave a wise appearance. With brunette strand pulled back in a practical way, the only thing to undercut it all was the ridiculously patterned shirt she wore with beige yoga pants. The woman kept looking at my cargo curiously but remained politely silent.

I didn't think she was a threat. Hazel eyes practically radiated maternal instincts. Her man was a different story.

Flinty and cautious eyes studied me as I looked at every single movement in my peripheral vision. His skin was as light as his eyes dark and with short cut graying hair, I decided they looked very different in appearance. He had a time warn aspect, sitting hunkered in his chair like an old badger. I held my opinion of him back and decided to wait before deciding if I liked him or not. That would depend on his actions.

"Stop that." He stated in a rough grumble, looking at me.

I blinked, "Stop what?"

The lady turned with a confused frown to peer at her husband as he answered, "The staring."

Oh, right. I had a habit of just watching things silently when I was antsy in a place. I'd forgotten that it sometimes made people uncomfortable.

"Peter!" Hazel eyes admonished as I turned my gaze to the counter before me, sneaking furtive glances upwards. I did not like people telling me what to do, but they were helping me and I was making them feel awkward. Not to mention, it was their house.

The only movement I made was blinking and slight turns of the head. Setting a plate of toast in front of me and a little mug of syrup, Hazel eyes scowled at Peter. Slowly and carefully, I reached for the table knife and spread a little butter on the bread. I kept my eyes down and away, waiting to see what would happen. Taking a bite, I refrained from grinning like an idiot. Ooooohhhh, this was wonderful. Absolutely delicious. Dang, I was hungry.

"Orange juice, coffee, or milk, ma'am?"

"Milk please." I didn't bother trying to tell her I didn't need it.

"You sure you don't want coffee?" The woman asked in surprise as I looked up at her and then back down to continue scooping food into my mouth.

"Yes. I don't like it."

She turned away to get the milk carton, "Well there's a surprise. Most everybody's addicted to coffee or those mocha drinks nowadays."

A slim hand set a glass in front of me as I gave a quiet 'thanks' and then rested on a hip as she stood by my side, opposite of the lights. When the lady didn't move away, I paused in my chewing and looked up to meet her gaze. What was she waiting for? Had I done something wrong?

She didn't look mad though, "You're just fine looking around. Isn't that right Peter?" The last part wasn't said to me as she turned to tip her head in an authoritative way at her husband. He 'hurmphed' at me.

"Yeah, yeah. Sorry. Not used to people being in here this early." Peter looked in the direction of the flickering orbs for a good long thirty seconds before returning to his pages.

Finally, the woman turned away to grab her own food before pulling another chair over and sitting down. I wondered if I was in her usual spot. And if she purposefully or subconsciously picked the place that was neither too close to me or too close to her husband to keep me from being twitchy. I'd have gotten nervous if she'd sat right next to me, but also hesitant to talk if I had to face both of them across the island table.

A brief pause in the sun-warmed room and then, "I was very tempted to call my department." The graying haired man stopped his reading to set his paper down and folded his arms, watching me. As an unwilling participant, our staring contest began.

"Department?"

"Riverton Police Department."

My face froze into a slate of indifference as I prayed the blood wouldn't rush out of my head. Paling at the title would definitely give away something. The food in my lower section suddenly didn't sit right.

Hazel eyes intervened, "Peter stopped working as a cop two years ago." She sipped a honey colored drink that I assumed to be tea. I couldn't think of anything to say that would help and remained silent.

The husband continued in a wary voice, "Margaret convinced me not to and I only agreed because I've dealt with a lot of people who've been pretty darn bad...You don't seem like that." I gravely nodded my head in gratitude.

"Never met a criminal who was polite. Or had manners." Margaret chimed in.

"Manners have nothing to do with whether or not someone is a criminal." There were too many smooth talkers for that.

Surprisingly, Peter agreed, "She's right. Besides, you haven't met many criminals at all."

She thought about it for a second, "Alright. Point to you." A scrape of a fork across the plate as Margaret took another bite.

"Now."

That was all he said as the older gent gave me a hard stare once again. They waited patiently as I tried to decide what to say. Mischief and Sullen felt my faltering and gave off a wave of reassurance. I could do this. It just depended on how I explained.

After pursing my lips and taking a deep breath, I started, "I would...rather not involve the police. I don't see what point it would have now. I am only passing through."

Peter gave me a level look, "Was it a beat down or a mugging?"

A sigh, "It started as thievery but turned into a fight when I refused to let them take it."

Both glanced in the direction of my softly glowing cargo and looked at each other. Internally, I reminded myself not to use the term 'they' when talking about the container. It would clue them in that it was more than a lit up glass jar.

"This...," a gesture down at the lights, "is rather important to a friend of mine. It caught their attention and the thieves tried to take it." A white lie about the friend part, as I didn't know the yellow robot at all.

A grumble from Peter as the man took another sip of coffee, "What is it?"

"I can't tell you." I really couldn't because I didn't know what they were, "But it is nothing illegal." It had _better not_ be.

"It is just very important to someone." Three sets of eyes watched each other across the breakfast cluttered space; golden-green, faded blue, and light onyx. Finally the husband took another gulp of his drink before pinching the bridge of his nose. That seemed to mean something because Margaret gave me a thoughtful look and then a faint smile dawned on her lips.

"Fine, fine. We won't pry. Just do yourself a favor and avoid bad parts of the city." The lady's smile grew at her husband's words.

I grinned as well, "Gladly..." then a pause, "You...never asked my name."

"We figured you would be comfortable sharing." Margaret said lightly, fixing her shirt a little as she stood to put her empty plate in the sink.

My chair scraped back as I rose, moving to assist the woman, "I'll help clean up. You can call me Brenna, if you like."

* * *

It was noon by the time we pulled up to the alley were the truck was parked. Remarkably, it was untouched. Maybe my quota of bad luck got all taken up yesterday evening. Carefully, I stepped out of the car and slung the straps of my bag over my left shoulder. It was slightly less sore than my right due to heavy bruising. A chill wind slid around us as the older couple got out as well. I was thankful that my hair was dry now.

"Are you sure you'll be okay?" Margaret popped open the driver's door on the dark vehicle after I handed her the keys. She held it as I tossed my pack inside and gently lowered the cylinder. Dang, bending over hurt like hell.

Standing straight again, I nodded, "Yes, quite fine. Thank you for another bandage by the way." Fingers ghosted across the thinly woven cloth on my neck, "And the food, and letting me sleep at your house, and the shower..." Uh-oh, I appeared to be rambling. They needed to be thanked for a lot though. I would have to find a way to repay them later.

An impish grin worked it's way across her face, "You needed a shower."

"Undoubtedly."

Peter stopped just behind Margaret and gave everything a once over, "Try to stay out of trouble."

"Yes-sir." I snapped a solute, straight faced while the other woman giggled. After a huff, the retired cop nodded his head and gave me a pat on the shoulder. As he turned back to his vehicle, I looked at Margaret, unsure what to do now. And then the older woman surprised me once more.

I suddenly found myself with two arms wrapped around me and a head resting next to mine. I was being hugged. After a few seconds of blank confusion, I hesitantly hugged her back. This was nice.

The dark haired lady straightened, "Do you know where you're going?"

As concern once again etched itself on her face, I clasped her warm hands, "Yes, I do. And I will be getting there, regardless of what it takes."

* * *

Soundwave would have preferred going after the weak signals himself, but his master ordered a couple of other cons to 'help' him. They were more likely to slow him down. At least this way the dark cassette player could let these two fight the Autobots, should it come to that. While they were busy trying to kill each other he could obtain whoever or whatever was giving off the spark energies.

"I don't see why I have to be here," a quiet rumbled complaint came from the jet standing only a few yards to the right. The con shifted to lean on one leg on the rocky overlook. The mid-day sun highlighted gold, blue and black metal. Dull carnelian optics looked out blandly as Dirge surveyed the land stretching out below them.

"Yeah! Why's he gotta be here? I don't need flyboy's help in busting up Auto-scum!" snarked a dissonant and almost Texan sounding voice.

The seeker leveled a glare at Wildrider as the Communications Officer spoke monotonously, "Fight: ill advised. Dirge: air reinforcement."

The pitch Ferrari grumbled and twitched, almost bouncing in place as he waited for the third in command. If the other Stunticons were here instead of these guys he would already be on the road and dealing damage. But nooooooooo, they were busy with other orders. Now the black and red con was perched on a craggy outcropping with Soundwave and Dirge as they stopped to check the signals movements. Retrieval missions weren't as much fun because they usually couldn't bust up the goods. Slag on that! This was boring!

For his part, the cobalt flyer hardly said a word as their officer studied the scans again. Finally he nodded, almost to himself, and put the tracking tool away in his subspace. Soundwave pointed West.

"Signals: on the move again. Decepticons: follow."

An odd metallic sound filtered through the open air as limbs pulled in and a tape deck landed in Dirge's open palm. Setting the officer in his cockpit, the jet transformed as well and took to the azure sky. Below, Wildrider let out a cackle.

"Whoo! Here I come Auto-dolts!" The sports car shot off and left a dust trail floating behind as he followed the seeker above him.

* * *

.

.

.

I have no idea where Margaret and Peter came from. They were just 'poof', there, personalities and all.


	13. Chapter 13

Cybertronians are vehicles, therefore, there needs to be some high speed chases in here somewhere. We are finally at the exciting parts. *Fistpumps*

.

.

.

* * *

A full belly. A slightly cleaner person. Being inside a warm truck with the window cracked open just enough to let the slightest breeze of chill wind blow past my hair. A calm and quiet state...

"HOOOONNNKKK."

The quiet disappeared as a horn sounded. Dang. Idiot driver behind me was acting like I was holding everybody up. Got news for you buddy, I don't want to be here either. At least I was making the best of it and I'd been doing so well at relaxing too. Being a pretty patient person comes in handy sometimes, but there was only so much sitting in still traffic that I could take and this many grouchy people around was making me annoyed. Idiots, I huffed resignedly.

It was past noon by the time things cleared up and I stopped for a bite to eat. I pulled my heavier coat on and shivered under the denim Thank goodness for warm trucker jackets and vehicle heating systems. I tied my hair back into a ponytail to keep it out of the way and decided to give myself a fifteen minute break. No need to push myself after yesterday evening. Lying on the back seats, my eyes closed as I munched an apple and granola bar. Urgh my chest hurt. The bruises everywhere else were ignorable but my ribs were aching something fierce. Laying down instead of sitting up helped a little at least. Poking at Mischief and Sullen as I ate, they sent a jittery feeling instead of the usual greeting. Or not greeting in Sullen's case.

What the-? "Did you just tickle me?"

I peeked one eye open to see the less social light just swishing in lazy loops. Mischief bounced and zipped, all the while both were sending more shivery pokes and proddings. They _were_ trying to tickle me.

"Hey, you started it. Don't say you didn't expect this." I warned them before branching out and sending the feeling back.

At first I wasn't sure if I'd done it right but the orbs seemed to shiver for a moment before skittering around in frenzied circles. A chuckle broke out of my mouth as our little game continued. Inside I felt proud that even Sullen was participating. Although, it could have been he just didn't want to let anyone 'tickle' him and get away scotch free.

It took a couple of minutes to convince them to stop so I could go back to driving. Feeling rather content, even with my battered state, I started the engine back up. And got another jitter from Mischief. Oi. After mentally putting my foot down to let him know I meant business, we continued on.

"Let's get this show on the road, boys." I murmured with the slightest twist of my lips upward as we headed west.

* * *

They were close, very close. Dirge circled high above the state route as Soundwave directed him. The dark jet glided down further. Below, the gleaming line of cars moved like ants, all scurrying to be somewhere. Among them was Wildrider. The crazy Ferrari roared his engine as he tried to stay at least relatively near the others of his faction while causing havoc on the road.

The tracker showed they were almost on top of the signals, "Wildrider: Take alternate route ahead. Do not let the quarry pass."

Instead of responding to the order through the comm. links, the obsidian sports car merely zipped off to the right and barreled down a curving road with a screech of rubber. Dirge flew just above the treeline now and the cars nearby slowed as people gawked and stared. Perhaps they were wondering if the blue and gold plane was in trouble and about to land. Not that it mattered to the Decepticons. The pitiful humans were merely in the way of their mission. A mission that would be over soon. The signals were right below.

* * *

Perhaps it was the fact that lunch was over or maybe it was just where we were at, but there were less cars now. Large fields and scatterings of buildings seemed to fly by our window as we rolled along. It was pretty empty out there in the dry scrub lands. Occasionally croppings of dry looking trees were spotted, nestled together like gossiping old women. I wondered briefly if any of the vehicles in front or behind me were actually headed to the towns I could see to my left and right. Or if they, like me, were just passing through.

Not really thinking about it, my fingers turned the knob and a radio station came on. I suppose I'd just had enough silence. Scrolling through, I winced. As expected; static, pop, rock, static, static, country, more static, politics, something in Spanish, commercial, static, economics? No clue what they were talking about, pop, advertisements, country. Urgh. A sigh blew out as I kept my eyes on the road. They rarely played anything I recognized or liked. Every once in a while an oldie would come on and I'd sing along, although singing was not one of my talents.

Growing bored of flipping through stations, I shut it off and went back to my mental color observations. A couple of days ago I'd started to count how many red vehicles, green, blue, silver and so on, that I could see. It kept me focused and I'd noted that white, silver, and black held the majority. Maybe people had a thing against color.

So mentally tallying up colors was what I had occupying my time as we went along, watching everyone moving about in the bright cold day, when there seemed to be a commotion ahead. Red lights flicked on as people slowed to a stop. There was a relatively large distance between myself and the drivers ahead, so I only slowed down to twenty-five instead of stopping completely. In front, one of the stopped vehicles revved their engine and made a sharp curve, driving right off the road and into someone's field.

That's odd. Why would someone do that? And then my eyes caught on another person, this one climbing out of their vehicle and taking off at a run. Several other drivers lay on their horns, probably wondering what was going on, the same as me. A sick feeling of unease scuttled into my midsection.

I wondered briefly just what it was that they could see ahead. What the hell was going on? I applied the brake and hoped that the drivers behind me didn't rear-end my dad's truck.

A screech of tires and crunching metal met my ears as a horn went off. In front, two vehicles crashed to the side of the road as a dark car collided and pushed between them. One of the cars rolled into a ditch on the opposite side of the road. I froze, my breath catching in my throat in surprise and shock. My fingers locked onto the wheel and tried to process what just happened.

'That car, he's going the wrong way...'

The offender stilled in the middle of the state route, engine snarling and grill pointed straight at me. I don't know vehicles that well, but I'd grown up with my dad. Which meant I knew a Ferrari when I saw one. This was a very sleek looking vehicle with a black paint job and low slung framing built for speed. The headlights flashed and engine growled as it sat facing my truck. To my back, several vehicles had stopped and then tried to make U-turns as they caught sight of the damage. Now I knew why those people ahead were trying to get off the road. A lightheaded feeling invaded my core as I stared at the sports car.

Heavily tinted windows kept me from seeing inside, but he could obviously see me, as he easily spoke in a loud rumble even over the distance between us, "Come one little human. Wanna see if you can run?" Insanity quite obvious in his voice.

Oh...

A litany of empty curses rolled through my head with no real emotion pushing them, just plain habit. My breath became shallow as sweat popped up on my brow. One of those Decepticons from before must have seen me leaving the muddy field with the container. They were after the lights. I had been right to worry about being followed. A hysterical voice in the back of my head tried to shout at me to run.

Loud growling met my ears as the monstrosity down the pavement roared his engines again and inched forward. He was _taunting_ me. My lips thinned and I flicked my eyes around, trying to think of an escape.

"SHIT...!" I suddenly yelped.

A small explosion had gone off at the rear with a sharp crackling noise and several bangs. My truck bounced on it's axles as I curled up a little to avoid hitting anything. I twisted around to see smoke rising from the road not a few feet behind. A check in the side mirror showed a brand new steaming hole in the road that was at least four feet across and deep enough to stop me from reversing. I spat out another bit of profanity and hissed as I caught a glimpse of a blue, black and gold jet doing a loop to come back around. Bastard was probably a Decepticon too! And now I was hedged in unless I went off road. That wouldn't stop the jet and it would slow me down...

A deep rumble that sounded like laughter came from the sleek machine in front and my lips curled up in disgust. If that's how you want to play... I brushed my hand down to the glow of the orbs.

They were neatly placed next to the driver's seat with my bags and a few other items to hold them in place. I didn't need to touch the glass to feel them reaching out, reacting to my fear and desperation. But I did anyway, if only to physically reassure myself of their presence. Those cons may have killed the red and yellow ones, but they weren't getting the lights.

I glared hard at the sports car to show just how furious I was over the death of those Autobots as the jet came into view in my mirror. Times up. Sending the emotional equivalent of a 'hold on tight', I edged my foot off the brake and onto the gas petal. The grounded Decepticon edged forward again.

"You really think I'll just hand 'em over?"

The words were hissed quietly but perhaps the enemy heard them anyways. Perhaps not. Either way, he shot forward. I hit the gas.

I'm not good at distance but it seemed to me we covered a lot of space in only a little bit of time. My chest hurt from how fast the internal beating was and my limbs went rigid, locking the wheel so I couldn't turn. Faintly, I realized I was playing chicken with a _Decepticon_, a death machine that killed people. Another part of me snarled furiously at the thought that he would dare to mess with me. If they wanted the lights, they would have to catch me first. Shay Carpenter did not let people just walk all over her.

But at the same time I knew head-on collisions had the worst survival rates. I realized I was probably about to die in a really painful way. I knew that, my mind knew that, but the weight of the situation just didn't seem to click.

Twenty feet. I couldn't look away. In the movies, they slow things down so you can see everything that happens. I don't know if that actually happens for everyone else, but it didn't for me. Time didn't slow at all. My thoughts seemed to _speed up. _Fifteen feet. Funny how it's hardly been two or three seconds. I usually wouldn't have noticed the passage of such a short amount of time.

Ten feet. My truck was bigger than the little flashy vehicle. Sturdier too. He can go faster, but I've got more bulk. And once I speed up it's hard to slow down. I wonder if he knows head on collisions hurt. Maybe he doesn't care.

Five feet. He's right in front of me. All I can see is the shining black metal and reflective glass about to ram into me head on. Everything else around is a blur. I don't think I've blinked since I gunned it. There are more explosions behind. Is the other one really still shooting at me?

Right there in front of me. This is going to hurt. Oh.

* * *

_30 minute before hand_

"Sir? We've got a call from the state patrol on the west side of Idaho. Several officers spotted a driver-less Ferrari causing wrecks and an unidentified dark blue and gold F-15 in the area. The descriptions match Wildrider and Dirge." Hound stood by the large screens of Teletran-1, having just finished a call with some troubled authorities.

The monochrome officer nodded to show he heard and sent a comm. link to the Prime. A few seconds passed before he tried to talk to their weapon specialist. He gave another nod, this one almost to himself.

"Ironhide's comm. link is off and he's in the shooting range. Get him for me please." Prowl passed the order before jumping back onto their communications system.

'_Tracks, Bluestreak. Both of you and Ironhide have an assignment.'_ After quickly filling them in the SIC continued, _'Your alt modes are faster, so go ahead.'_

_'Hide will catch up?'_ The gunner questioned.

_'Yes, just get over there quickly. You may go above the posted speeds, just drive carefully and take the roads with less civilians.'_ Prowl clicked off the link. He didn't need to hear the excited babble of the younger Praxian as he returned his attention to Teletran. Of course Bluestreak (and probably Tracks) were excited. It wasn't often they were given permission to _really_ stretch out their engines and show just how much faster they were to the human's vehicles. But this was serious business.

And it didn't fit well with the stoic tactician. Why would the Decepticons risk being only a state away from the Autobot base so recently after the Twins death? They knew with certainty the Autobots were just itching for a chance to get them back. And none of the Decepticon fliers liked to work with the ground based vehicles, even in their own faction.

But yet, it seemed Dirge and Wildrider were up to something nearby. It felt like he was missing a bit of the puzzle here, and he couldn't accurately plan unless he had all the pieces. Frigid optics studied the screen as he focused their scanners on Idaho.

What was missing?

* * *

Suggested music: Sling the Decks (Single Barrel Mix)- Crystal Method

_Present time_

My arm jerked reflexively and my trusty pick-up moved just barely to the right. Screams and shrieks of metal berate my ears as the smaller car slams into me. He didn't pull away, I did and the sides scrape past each other in tearing and sparks. My driver's side window fractures with large pieces being ripped away by the force of our collision. The left hand mirror is gone and a shudder goes through the framing, making my vehicle buck and jolt. I bounce a little in my seat. Thank goodness for seat belts.

As suddenly as it happens, he's gone. A blurred streak of black that shoots past as I jerk the wheel to straighten and stay on the road. My back tires slide before everything stabilizes and I remember to breath. I suck in a lungful and slam the gas again, rocketing forward as a screech of rubber on pavement sounds behind. I don't need to look to know he's trying to turn around. Adrenaline burns through me as I barrel down the road and pray that I can escape.

The bash at the side stole a little of my speed but I was still going nearly eighty down the blacktop and gaining speed by the second. It was hard to hear anything over the engine and turbulent air rushing in the shattered window. More chunks fell out to break against the ground and left larger gaping holes for the wind. I was a bit too distracted to care though.

"Drive, drive, drive..." Repeating my mantra, I tried to keep from hyperventilating and failed miserably. My arms shook as I gripped the wheel and took a sharp curve to the right, skidding around other vehicles. Some of which were very much wrecked. Didn't take a genius to see who'd been through here. Fear kept it's claws in me as I shoved down all out panic and sent reassurance to Mischief and Sullen. They just radiated worry and nervousness back. I didn't blame them. If I were in a glass container and defenseless, I'd be a bit freaked out too.

A hard tremor ran through and lifted everything into the air for a couple seconds, "DAMN!"

I snarled as I tried to hold the container in place with one hand and steer with the other. My fingers graced foreign metal before it rolled just out of reach and smacked against the passenger seat. My rear-view showed that sleek, black, and crazy was back. Stupid overgrown toaster had rammed me...

I put both hands back on the wheel and floored it. The poor engine whined in protest that it was already going as fast it could, the needle hovering near the very end of the scale. Crazy chicken playing Decepticon slowed before speeding up and smashing into the vehicle's rear again. Didn't that hurt him?! There was no way the truck was going to survive this.

"Quit playing with me already!"

I roared out-loud as my foot hit the brake and I slowed enough to make a left turn, now going down a narrower stretch. The black sports car was right on my tail but couldn't try another stunt because we were both distracted by the pot holes.

My body jounced up and down with a grunt spilling from my mouth. Oooooh, my ribs. I was going to have words with whoever paved this sorry excuse of a road. Almost all of my driver's window was gone by now as the bumps loosened the rest of it. If the shocks hadn't been shot so far on this trip, they will be after this, I thought as a speck in the sky caught my vision.

Awww, come on! Not the jet again! It was far ahead in front and aimed toward me. I would have bet good money that it was going to fire soon.

There, an intersection. Jerking to the right, my breath stopped in my chest as the wheels on the side lifted from the ground. Thankfully, we landed with a thud instead of tipping. The orbs rolled closer to my seat and I wished I had something to tie them down with. Let's hope they can't get motion sickness.

"Get out of here you idiotic...!" There were other cars on the road ahead. Not enough to be called heavy traffic but I had to worry about not hitting anybody. Stupid people! Do you not see the danger?! Get out of here!

I jerked the steering wheel, sliding around some morons who actually honked at me. The Decepticon sports car slammed right past them and the other vehicles skidded off into someone's front yard. Cringing, I tried to keep my eyes on the road while checking the sky for the circling plane.

Suddenly, a gray car slipped in from the right and shot between myself and my pursuer. Briefly I wondered why in the world anyone would pull a dangerous stunt like that until I got a better look in the mirror. It was an older vehicle with a sleek design, in well kept condition, and _no driver_. There were no words to how completely frustrated and helpless I felt, until the newcomer pulled a sharp three-sixty with ease and sidled up to the left side of the con. Another one appeared behind, navy blue with an oddly curved hood and flame decal on the front. He was seriously shiny and with a smooth gliding of wheels, pulled up to the destructive vehicle. They were boxing him in! A raging snarl came from the Con that could be heard even over all the other din.

All three were obviously sports cars and had no trouble going way over a hundred. I decided there was no way I was going to try and out run them. Seeing another exit ahead, I cut the corner, shooting across the grass before lunging back onto the road and away from the looming fight. A hiss due to my protesting injuries at the bumpy ride was drowned out by squealing tires and roaring engines. A quick look behind showed they continued past without turning.

Yes! Using my internal hope to spur myself, I quickly slipped down several roads and turned at random points until I was around several small hills and out of view. If that annoying jet didn't follow me I would be home free. Ignoring the loud sounds of metal on metal and motors, I slipped away from the carnage.

* * *

Music: Sound of Madness- Shinedown

"'Bout time you showed your sorry faces Auto-glitches!" Laughed Wildrider, forgetting the target in favor for playing with the enemy.

But that was apparently the wrong thing to say. The Autobots had lost some of their own to the Cons and now, here was a perfect target taunting them. Bad move. Very bad move.

Bluestreak had dealt with this particular Stunticon before and remembered quite well his fondness for ramming things (and people). So he drifted just out of reach anytime the Con started to edge toward him. Then, when there weren't so many human vehicles near them, he braked and slammed right, smashing into Wildrider's back left side.

The Ferrari started to fishtail with a yell and gears locked as he tried to straighten out his wheels. Tracks pulled back and then shot forward to give a hard nudge to the out of control vehicle. Wildrider spun around completely and transformed, limbs flying as he tried to right himself. Sparks flew up from the black top as he landed in a crouch, sliding backwards and with one hand dug into the pavement.

"Aauuuuwwwh. Did I piss you of-..." Another taunt, this one cut off with a shot from the silvery sniper who had braked and transformed.

The blast went past the black and red cybertronian's helm, just barely grazing his shoulder plating. He dodged to the left, crushing a fence under foot, just as another shot hit him in the lower midsection. With a growl of pain, he lunged at Bluestreak. The gunners face went from a hard glare to fearful startlement in a split second as he quickly backpedaled and gave a duck and roll. Barely avoiding a slash of clawed digits, he rapidly stood to find Tracks trading blows with their enemy.

"DECEPTICON!" A battle roar thundered into their area; rage, promised pain, and something completely terrifying evident in the cry.

Everyone paused for a breath and then a blur of darker crimson bulldozed past the gunner and straight towards the fighters. Before Wildrider knew just what had hit him, he was on the ground with a seriously pissed off weapon specialist tearing chunks out of his armor. The con screeched in distress as his arm was mangled and nearly pulled off completely.

Ironhide did not like losing comrades. It didn't matter if they were annoying slaggers who irritated him, he was tired of losing people to this war. So one furious war fighter plus not being allowed to leave the base until now equaled a serious smack-down on whoever happened to be available. It stood to reason that they were out of training drones again. And how he had gotten here so quickly when the others had a head start and faster vehicle modes was going to remain a mystery.

The blue and red-orange corvette backed away with a look of disdain at the con. There was no way he was getting in the middle of that, he had enough scratches as it was. Bluestreak resisted the urge to wince. Wildrider was a con. The cons killed the Twins, so he deserved it. Ironhide tore out another chunk of armor, spraying energon and sparking wires into the air. Okay, mostly deserved it.

Going with Track's mentality, the Datsun decided not to get in the way and moved to try and help the few remaining humans clear out of the area when blaster shots rained down from above. Dirge looped around and peppered the air with deadly fire. Ironhide snarled and backed off the whimpering Wildrider to take pot shots at the ultramarine flier.

Easily dodging, the dark jet swooped down to nearly graze the Autobots. Bluestreak partially ducked and brought up his rifle, firing at the aerial con who was already several hundred yards away and climbing higher.

"Get back here yah cowardly Conehead!"

The weapon specialist howled, turning away from the downed Ferrari. _Never_ turn your back to an injured Decepticon, no matter how badly beaten up. With a trembling red servo, Wildrider reached into his subspace to draw out his gun.

Aiming the blaster, his vents cycled noisily and with painful sounding sputters. The trigger was pulled with a jerk, the shot projected forward, and the blast clipped the heavily armored van in the back. Ironhide yelped in surprise and fell over to crash onto the ground, energon starting to splutter from the new hole in his back. Bluestreak rushed to cover him while the red Autobot barked an order to Tracks.

"Bring that seeker down!"

The narcissistic bot pulled out his missiles and aimed at Dirge, but didn't fire as the con disappeared into the cloud bank above. Scowling, he turned to find the youngest helping up the old veteran. And three pairs of light cerulean optics found an empty energon-stained spot on the ground where Wildrider had previously been.

While Ironhide clenched his jaw, Bluestreak spoke up, "Well, we can still track him. There's got to be energon leaking off him all over the place and if we follow it we can find that Con. Not to mention he probably didn't get too far with how wounded he is. We'll have to find something to stop that wound of yours from leaking though..."

"Blue." Ironhide's growl efficiently cut off the chatter as the gunner jerked his worried optics away from 'Hide's injury.

"Yes?"

"Hush yer vocalizah." came a snarl. Someone was apparently not done venting. And unfortunately for him, the intended target of his wrath had just vanished.


	14. Part Three Lightning Dreams

Anyone would say it was the middle of nowhere, even the locals who lived only a few miles away. As far as the eye could see craggy grass latched into cracked dry dirt and sprouted in patches. Distantly, a few hills rolled their fingers under the earth. If one were to go farther North they would be in rocky country. South, back the way he'd come, was flat flat flat FLAT nothingness. Just roads, fields, and maybe the occasional house and small town here and there. Slumping behind a small rocky cliff face, Wildrider growled into the mildly chilly air.

Violent blood-red optics glared balefully at the desaturated sky as he waited for Soundwave and Dirge. It was bad enough that he was wounded like this, worse because there was _nothing_ interesting to destroy for a hundred miles, and it was absolutely horrendous that he'd had to run from the scum Autobots. He was Wildrider, slaggit! He charged right into the middle of things! Not run away like a coward. That was Screamers job. Not that he'd ever tell the tri-colored jet that, as Starscream was still a commanding officer and therefore had the ability to make his life a living pit if he felt like it.

And Soudwave could as well. The black and red con watched as Dirge circled above once and landed. The tape-deck sprang out and walked over to examine the bleeding Ferrari with a critical optic band.

The damage was extensive. Several larger energon lines had been riven open and were now held together by Wildrider's servo covering them. His right arm was mangled and useless. Gaping holes adorned his chest and armor. Broken and cracked windows glared from his plating while a crumpled hood and shattered headlights dripped tiny shards of glass and metal onto the stained ground with each miniscule movement. Wildrider had his one good arm wrapped around his front to help staunch the flow from his midsection but was ready to move at a seconds notice. Decepticons hated showing weakness. It was detrimental to their health. He looked at the other two and asked a sour question.

"Why'd you order me to scram outta there? I could have gotten a few more shots in him." A raspy growl crackled out of his mouth as sharp denta were bared at the space next to Soundwave.

"Target: escaped. Wildrider: taken critical damage. New plan required. Do not question me." The echo-like robotic voice caused the Stunticon to shrink back just a little. Compared to how much he normally spoke, Soundwave seemed downright chatty. That was probably a bad thing.

"Okay...And the plan is hunt down the new bot?"

Dirge, until this point, had been watching the area and ignoring the grounders asinine behavior. No one but a fool behaved like that towards Soundwave. But now the jet turned inquiring optics at Wildrider. The injured con revved his engines in displeasure when two sets of optics fell on him. Soundwave spoke first.

"Report: detailed description of target signals."

Wildrider studiously ignored the flier's watchful gaze and shifted a little against the hard gray rocks, " I dunno about those two signals. All I saw was a human driving a truck where you said the signals were. Don't recognize the altmode, so I suppose it's a new bot." Another rumble.

"Stupid coward didn't even fight. The human female was driving the whole time. Either the trackers screwy and that was a random human or the Auto-scum have one more petro-rabbit for a soldier."

Onyx armor suddenly slammed into the limestone with a metal shearing crash as Soundwave held one servo to the car's throat and another to his pointed helm. The Stunticon flinched as he realized he'd implied that the boss had made a mistake in their tracking. Small fingers rearranged themselves into smaller and thinner digits that shifted and then latched into Wildrider's processor. The connection broke through flimsy firewalls and grabbed at the recent memories. A hiss of pain broke out of the injured con's mouth.

Then the sports car was dropped back onto the dirty ground with a loud clank that startled the empty air. He was ignored as Soundwave filtered through the new information and studied the data, memorizing everything that had been seen. Wildrider glared at Dirge who hadn't moved nor said a word the entire time. Creepy flier. It was unnerving how he was always quiet and watching. It didn't help that the Ferrari was hurt and some of the welds had opened again where they had started to close up.

"Wildrider: Return to base for repairs. Dirge: continue following signals." The commander's tone was as empty as the space around them.

Say whatever you like about the Communications Officer, but Soundwave took his job very seriously. Unlike his master, he didn't continually offline his underlings. But he did always have an ulterior motive. There was little point in dragging the car with them when he would slow them down and possibly die. As annoying and thick-helmed as he was, Wildrider was needed as another warrior on the battlefield. No, if they were useful then make the soldiers live to be useful tomorrow.

"But the Autobots...!" Wildrider's protest was cut off as he struggled to stand against his rock wall support.

"Wildrider: Repairs as ordered." The con shrunk under the officer's tone. No one wanted Soundwave's leaching digits in their head any more that they had too. With a barely repressed growl, he nodded, scarlet optics glaring at the ground.

The ever ominous Dirge remained silent as he and the cassette player took to the dimming and cold sky once more, leaving Wildrider to get his injured self back to the Nemesis without aid. They couldn't very well help him. That was not what Decepticons did.

* * *

Audiomachine- Solace

Here's a fact of life: It can always get worse. I had not planned on actually having to walk for a very long distance, but it hadn't worked out like that. Half an hour after convincing myself that I wasn't being followed, I'd found myself on a dirt road way way out away from everything else. It had occurred to me that those two cars that had boxed in the Ferrari could have been Autobots. But their windows were tinted and I couldn't have been sure. What if they weren't? What if they were and they lost? I didn't want to end up at the beginning again, watching someone die.

That thought made my chest ache and throat close until I shoved it down. Mischief and Sullen nudged, asking if there was a threat. I soothed them and kept my eyes out for any signs of life. To the far left was a good sized forested area. Pulling off the road, the tired truck stuttered lightly over the gravel and dead branches until I reached what looked to be a rotting barn. Half of it was collapsed with dark wood beams poking out like a fragmented ribcage. The engine quieted as my head poked out the broken window. Silence.

With a sigh of relief I stumbled out the passenger door and collapsed on the ground with trembling legs. You are insane, you are insane, never do that again, you are crazy woman... Playing chicken was going on my list of things to never do again.

After a moment of just resting on the solid dirt and breathing in the scent of decaying leaves and dry stone, I shakily stood and pulled out my only knife. Peering warily into the barn revealed an empty enclosure and lots of spiders. Yes, something was going right!

I quickly backed up the truck into the hiding spot. Pulling my two bags out, I then hauled over nearby branches and leaned them against and on top of my dad's Chevrolet. Damn, poor thing looked awful with a busted window and the back end caved in so many places. Add in the completely out of shape left door and dents along that same side and maybe you would have an image of what it looked like. At least people would be less likely to steal it, on the off chance that anyone noticed it out here.

"Aurrrrrgggghhh." I moaned as I leaned back against a tire and hugged the orb's container to my chest. They had calmed down completely by now and so had I, relief flooding through my veins. Just a few minutes to relax, where no one was trying to kill us...

"I did not sign up to play road games with Decepticons when the yellow one handed you to me."

My muffled grousing was barely audible in the chilly dry air as I curled in on myself a little. Not that I blamed these guys in the least, or the red and yellow ones for that matter. The yellow one hadn't a choice and I had just ended up there. Whether that was good or bad luck was still up for debate. In his place, I probably would have done the same. Aurgh. I needed to get to the Autobots. If those cars _had_ been Autobots... It was too late now. I just had to keep going.

"Well guys," I spoke aloud once more, " driving time is over and now we're walking. Lets hope there's no bears out here. With my luck I'll end up meeting one."

The lights caught the tiniest bit of humor I could manage at the moment and sent back a 'hug' feeling. My face seemed to crack just a little as the worry washed away and I smiled a genuine smile, something I hadn't done in what felt like quite a while. The pack with my dwindling food and clean clothes was slung onto my back, while the container went into the large bag that I carried in my arms. It was better if they weren't seen. No point in furthering the possibility of the attempted theft like before.

And I learned something else that day. Walking with ribs that were healing hurt like a bitch. That first hour of putting one foot in front of the other was like balancing on a tightrope. I had to constantly remind myself that stopping was dangerous and I could rest later. The little lights tried to support me. As we wondered past the grass fields and harvesting tractors, they tried to take away some of the aches. Sullen in particular kept egging me on. I wasn't sure whether to be annoyed that he wouldn't let me stop or happy that the less social light was helping. Either way, the determination that rolled off him in waves kept pushing me to go further.

We finally reached a small village that was on my map and I could figure out where to go from there. It wasn't bad, actually. Quite a few miles until Boise, and then I could probably find a ride from there. Feeling I'd earned a small break, I ate and napped in a park at the center of the town for a brief time before starting off again.

The terrain was odd, I'd have to say. Although it was pretty in it's own way, I was a bit more used to my woods. There was a large open space where the land seemed to melt into the sky in the distance. Scrub grasses and sparse trees dotted the ground here and there. The canvas above had long since gone from bright blue to a dull gray hue and tinges of yellow started to appear on the horizon to the West. As we headed that way, we passed farming machinery raking in their harvest and leaving plumes of pollen and dust in their wake. Not for the first time I was very thankful that I didn't have many nature-induced allergies. We trotted on and on the winding roads, pavement crumbling at it's edges under my sore feet. My heavy jacket kept my body warm although I couldn't feel my nose in the chill. Gazing at the path before me, I sighed. So far to go.

The grays, browns and greens seemed to lose their color as the yellow bloomed to orange. Dark blue cloud-boats scuttled across their ocean as the birdsong slowed to fade out. Far far away, lights flickered on in response to evening. The last of the hopeful crickets started their quiet chirping as I cast around for a spot to sleep. It was far too cold for cicadas.

Finally, as the last daylight started to leak away, I found a small outcropping. Caught between two fields and by an almost dry stream bed was a large pile of boulders. It was as if some giant below had shoved them upward and left them there, which was perfectly fine by me. It provided some cover for the night.

I settled into a small hollow between two large stones and pulled on another layer of clothes, dimly ignoring my protesting aches. I hadn't been able to fit the truck's blanket in the bag and would have to do without. Curling up, my limbs wrapped around the warm container and I put my knife and slingshot within easy reaching distance.

"You know, if it was any colder I would have to start a fire." Ignoring my want for heated food, my head pulled down to lull against the glowing warmth.

My thoughts drifted off with the quiet trickle of water over smooth rocks and distant nocturnal sounds. Maybe tomorrow wouldn't be as crazy as these last two days. Maybe we would make it.

* * *

_Sullen and Mischief spun and bounced in place, unable to hold still. Earlier had been bad again. The Other_ _had been scared, terrified really. But then there was possessiveness and the Other had seemed to latch onto them and refused to let go. Everything was calm now but the repetitious bouts of bad things were tiresome. The Other seemed to feel this as well and the lights rumbled as the Other's pain. Mischief felt that they should do something about it, as it wasn't in their nature to just sit idly by and do nothing. Sullen wasn't happy because there was little they could do._

_They tried to ease the Other's pain, but they couldn't fix it. Before long the orbs were frazzled and twitching with irritation. Frustration and helplessness as their inability to be proactive stung._

_Eventually, the Other had started to drift and then slumbered. Mischief tugged. No reaction. One presence twittered at the other light and they both pulled, and tugged and tugged and __tugged__. The Other seemed to focus more and grumbled sleepily at them._

_Sullen huffed a 'Finally' while the bouncier light crowed._

_This way, come on, this way_

_There was hardly anything they would do. Not in this state. But if everything was going to make the Other hurt, then they were dang well going to cheer the Other up. Floating along in nothingness, the three left the dark warmth and came to a new place. The sudden change startled the Other badly but both orbs clung on, refusing to relinquish their hold._

_Here, come here_

* * *

Chase the Light- Two Steps from Hell

_I was in the odd place again. If someone had asked me where I was, I would have had to stop and think. But it didn't occur to me to wonder. It didn't occur to me that I could have been sleeping. __There__ and __Then__ existed and that was all._

_They pulled me along as I grumbled wearily at them. Pesky lights. How they were so full of energy was beyond me. And then it was different. Like a slap to the face, the unexpected feeling of wind and atmosphere, a more distinct form and actual space, made me panic for a moment in surprise. But they wouldn't let go and I calmed before taking in my surroundings._

_We were in a tumbling sky, the roar of wind in our faces but strangely no rain. Ground did not exist. A deep breath through non-existent lungs brought the scent of water and electricity. Mischief and Sullen let go and dashed forward, shoving each other as they bound after crackling light. It was debatable about whether we had form or not in the swirling clouds. There was only the barest distinction between the energy filled presence of the orbs and the stormy world around us._

_Lighting flashed, light violet and white, as Mischief grabbed onto me and pulled. He urged me to follow and soon we were crashing through the air, chasing the lightning as if nothing else mattered. And nothing did. Laughing, shouting, playing in the sky. The world was __alive__. It was so much like the glowing orbs but with the energy amped up a thousand times. Exhilaration bloomed deep and spread as we leapt and danced after the burning fire. It crackled red and orange, yellow, white, deep mist purples and pale pale greens. The faintest blues shot out of the clouds above while we caught them by the tails._

_It burned and tingled, exactly as you'd expect electricity to feel but without the overwhelming pain. The sensation filled me up and demanded movement. Like adrenaline and life shot straight into your veins. We threw our catches at one another in some sort of altered game of dodge ball. Ducking and weaving, I laughed in joy. This was fun!_

_A percussive orchestra of thunder wove a symphony around us, the echoes crashing to my core. I tossed my burning light as them and squealed as another flew past my face. Mischief laughed as a shot from Sullen hit and tickled him._

_Fun, fun, fun_

_I chuckled and then tumbled feet over head backwards as I was shoved. Straightening and then rising, I found a giggling Mischief who was trying to play innocent. He was tackled and then Sullen lunged into the dog pile. We wrestled before the prankster slipped out and shot away, trying to escape. Sullen and I gave chase, laughing as we lunged over and under churning clouds and flashes of electricity. Our game shifted as I nudged my accomplice and then ran as he tried to catch me, our previous prey joining in as chaser. They caught me and we flipped back and forth, seeking each other and wrestling in the sky._

_And then we were spinning._

_Round and round, we wove and twisted as the wind and lightning kept us from staying still. It was warm but with a chill burning edge that seemed to have the same effect as the electricity. Above, below, all around us the world roiled in convoluted waves as huge open spaces shifted and expanded. The three of us pulled back far away from each other before coming together in our dance. What would have been awkward and forced in real life was graceful and smooth here._

_Faster_

_Sullen pushed us to speed up as our movements gained complexity. We chased and spun in lilting steps around each other and across waves of formless precipitation. The electricity in the sky world zipped around us as we wove and twirled through the wind. Mischief spun around to my left as I glides past the other orb and then we held close in our circle before splitting apart. Booming thunder shook the air while the flashes picked up speed. An almighty crash jolted our world as we came together a third time._

_Time held no meaning but eventually the dancing and chasing slowed as we grew tired. The stormy sky faded and thunder grew distant. Sleepily, we retreated to the warm dark and fell into a tangled pile. A brief bout of shoving was settled when I kicked both of them. After settling down and dropping off in exhaustion, Mischief prodded me. A question unasked but tangible. I gave a sleepy but happy rumble._

_Happy. Fun. Good._

_Both lights chittered and curled up as we drifted into slumber._

.

.

.

This lightning dream right here is one of the first ideas that inspired me to write this and is now one of my favorite chapters. I hope you guys like it.


	15. Chapter 15

This was originally two chapters but I wrote a rough draft and hated it. Did it again- same result. Mashed two chapters together, shortened stuff, moved things around, and by the fourth revision I decided I'd gotten to something I could work with. So now, instead of two chapters till she gets to the Ark, it's one. Huzzah.

.

.

* * *

It was the humans fault, really. They'd traveled a laughably short distance for a Cybertronian and yet they still had not managed to catch whoever or whatever was emitting those signals. The fact of the matter was the energy signatures were very faint to begin with and the transmissions from all the blasted human tech was interfering with the sensitive calibrators on the tracking system. The cons _had_ dealt with it thus far and followed the signals and were almost on top of them once again. And then there was a city, with far too many conflicting air waves and radio transmissions. Their tracker was practically useless until they were only a few feet from the slagging signals. So obviously, it was all the humans fault.

'Stupid humans. Stupid tracker...' thought Rumble, 'This is boring without any Autobots to fight.'

As the purple cassette vented a sigh for what seemed the fiftieth time, Frenzy shoved him from behind, "Hey! What the frag was that for?!"

"Being a slow poke. Come on." The other symbiote jumped out of the way as his brother swung at him, "There's a lot of humans this way. Lets see if we can mess with them while we're looking."

Frenzy's scarlet optic band lit up with nefarious excitement as he tugged his brother. Rumble huffed as the identical cassette-formers slunk along the back alleys toward a larger open space that did indeed have a large multitude of human fleshlings. In front of them was what looked to be a small park with lots of trees and statues with stores lining the other side of the pavement. With a quick dash, both Decepticons were across the road and hopping up onto the concrete sculptures to peer above the heads of the humans. What could be said? They were fun to climb on, even if they had to ignore the weird and nervous looks they got from the nearby organics. But they were still stuck covering this part of the city while Dirge scouted the east side and their boss was doing something or other. Scanning the crowd and still not seeing one that matched the description they were looking for, Frenzy hailed Soundwave on the comm links.

_'Hey Boss, do we haaaavvveee to do this? There's like, a couple hundred of these things here. How are we supposed to find one human?'_

Only a few second passed until the Communications Officer answered, _'Use the tracker.'_

_'But it'll take foooorrreeeevvvveerrrr!'_ Now Rumble broke in, having been bored as soon as they'd started this idiotic hunt in this pit-forsaken city, _'At least with Ravage and Lazerbeak...'_

_'Siblings: Busy.'_

_'Yeah, we know. Everybody's busy...'_ The violet mini-con muttered as he sat on top of a broken bench and went back to people-watching. Frenzy picked up an empty pop can and hurled it at a group of teenage boys walking by. They scattered with yelps and cursing.

_'You still getting that stuff?'_

_'Affirmative. Focus on mission.'_ With that Soundwave cut off the link and left a bored and destructive pair of brothers to search out a human.

* * *

A cacophony of talking, honking, vehicles, people and general discord grated on my ears as everyone bustled about. They all seemed to need to be somewhere and had to get there quickly. The noise was very different than what I was used to and put me on edge even more so than I already was. Leaning against the outside wall of a grocery store, I thought over my options again and got no good results. What I really needed was someone to loan me a vehicle, but I couldn't risk going to a dealership because I couldn't be sure of how far this mess with my dad and the police had spread.

I didn't have time to explain the situation to the law. The Decepticons from yesterday had proven that. Of course, I could just go to the cops and ask for help.

Absolutely not. They would try to take over and send me home. Like hell they'd make me leave these guys alone. The yellow one told me to keep them safe.

Urgh. Back to needing a way to get to the Autobot base. Perhaps I could convince someone to drive me there, although hitch-hiking wasn't the safest option. I sighed as clouds drifted overhead, leaving sun and shadows that sped rapidly across the ground. They momentarily illuminated the shine of sluggish traffic before disappearing. It was bright, but still chilled out. Pushing off the building, I started walking and hoped an idea would come to me. If there wasn't any solutions to be found before mid-day, then I would just have to trek to the Autobot base on foot and hope the Decepticons didn't catch sight of me.

Everyone around seemed to be either walking in groups, texting on phones, or speed walking to their destination as the masses pushed and pulled around the tall metal structures and soaring stone buildings. A jogger in a neon shirt went past me, music heard even though she had headphones on. Personal space boundaries were shrunken here. Even the architecture seemed condensed and maze-like. Distantly, the sounds of a siren shrilled above the man-made buildings that looked like they were holding up the sky. I should probably say I'd only been in a city a few times before, and it was just as loud and uncomfortable as I remembered.

Being in close proximity to so many others was setting my nerves on end. I missed my woods and garden. Pushing aside thoughts of home, I mildly contemplated the state of my treasure box before focusing again. I needed to find a vehicle or someone with a truck who was willing to drive me someplace.

Heading down one way and then another, I finally just rested on a curb with my two bags and ate a quick lunch. An apple and some bagels was all I had left, soon I'd have to buy some more food. The sun stayed out this time and I hoped it would warm up enough that I could take off my thicker denim jacket. Just as I started to stand, a myriad of shouts came from down the street.

Frowning, I grabbed the large bag that held the orbs and slung it onto my back before narrowing my eyes in the direction the clamor was coming from. Quickly deciding I didn't want to be involved, I turned away and started toward a more accessible looking area with smaller buildings and less of the populace. But I hardly gone ten steps when I heard loud footsteps clunking behind me.

Looking back the way I'd come showed two robots heading toward me at a leisurely stalking pace. One dark amethyst and the other black and maroon, both looked identical down to the matched smirks and Decepticon symbol on their fronts. Two scarlet shades stared at me.

"Hey, toldja I saw her this way." A smug male voice that was easily discernible even over all the city noise.

Damn.

* * *

Shinedown- Adrenaline (Why is Shinedown so good for fight/chase scenes?)

The human female blinked at them for a second and then bolted, dropping the second bag that held food and clothes.

"Get her!" Shouted Frenzy, urging his brother as he tore after their prey.

Shay tore down the rapidly emptying road using the adrenaline pumping through her body. Neither the few pedestrians around nor the light container slowed her down as the woman plunged left into an alley and then dashed out the other side. Her legs and chest started to ache. First yesterday and now today...yes, someone out there really didn't like her.

Brown hair flying back, she tried to run down another small alley but Rumble beat her there and the woman narrowly missed slamming right into him. Feet sliding, Shay turned sharply and continued to gain speed as she flew across the pavement and shoved through throngs of people. Frenzy almost snagged her as they thundered down a straight road, cars honking at them the whole way.

'Turns,' she thought desperately, 'They'll outpace me on a stretch. I need corners.'

As Shay lunged between two cafes with the red and black cassette on her tail, his servo reached out and just about grabbed her pack this time. With a panic fueled burst of speed, she jumped onto and over a parked car that blocked her path. Behind the sound of crunching metal and glass shattering could be heard as the con copied her.

Blue eyes wide with startlement, she burst from the alley and ducked under Rumble's arm with a baseball slide on the gritty asphalt. Behind came the sounds of metal on metal as Frenzy crashed into his brother. Not stopping, she scrambled up and almost overbalanced but took off with curses being hurled into the air by the hunters.

The chase continued for another couple minutes before the woman realized that she was slowing and it was highly doubtful that the Decepticons were going to be worn out so easily. The only reason they hadn't caught her yet was she had her slightly shorter height and speed on her side. Not to mention all the obstacles she was purposefully using to her advantage. If only she could get lost in a crowd! Every time she tried they easily separated her from the other humans as one does to a calf from a herd.

With a mental growl of 'screw it', Shay did an about-turn and threw herself to the right as her eyes caught on an opportunity. The young woman jumped onto a metal dumpster and heaved herself up on a stack of wood pallets that were waiting to be moved. From there, she got atop the roof of a squat building and turned to kick the flat planks over.

Frenzy was climbing the pile and the wood really wasn't meant to hold a metal being's weight. So it was no surprise when the fragile structure tipped like a stack of flimsy cardboard boxes and crashed into the dirty ground with the cassette. With a growl, the con kicked the wood off himself while his violet brother snickered. Instead of using nearby objects to climb on, Rumble merely dug his clawed servos into the brickwork and pulled himself up the wall easily.

Until a sharp crack was heard and he fell back with a strangled cry.

Getting up, the servo that had reflexively covered his faceplates came down to reveal a cracked optic band and pink energon leaking from underneath. The mini-cons looked at each other with surprise written clearly in their expressions. A snarl on his face, Rumble drew out his blaster and scattered shots all over the top of the building's wall. Shay ducked down immediately.

The woman had put her slingshot and steel balls in the pockets of her jacket earlier. While she knew she couldn't do that much damage to them, hitting the weak points was always better than nothing. And Shay didn't know any species where the eyes weren't vulnerable. So a steel ball at close range was bound to cause some harm to the fragile looking visors that covered where their eyes should have been.

Rumble shouted something in Cybertronian that Shay didn't need a translator to know meant he was going to kill her in a very painful way. Before she could fit another projectile in the sling, the cassette twins scaled upwards with rapid efficiency. An 'Oh shit' look crossed her face before she abandoned her weapon and turned to sprint across the short area. Shay catapulted off the roof and onto a lower one. The gravel cut into the woman's arms and legs but she didn't have time to do anything but ignore the sting as she looked desperately for a way down as the chase picked up again.

'Why the hell do people put gravel of roofs?!' She snarled as she darted to an edge and slid down a water pipe that barely held her weight. Shay failed to notice the blue and white Ligier racer and red Pontiac trans-am below. They however, noticed her.

Once Ratchet had learned of Ironhide's injury, he had ordered the angry warrior back to the Ark under threat of dismantlement. Now Mirage and Windcharger had been sent out to join Tracks and Bluestreak to see if they could figure out why the cons were hanging around. Staying in two team, the Datsun and the Firebird had headed up to were they'd though they'd spotted Dirge while the other two patrolled down in the more populated section of the city. Shouts and a general fuss among the humans had lead them this way only to be stopped by the sight of Rumble and Frenzy scrambling after a young woman who was running across a rooftop.

Mirage just barely caught a glimpse of blue jeans and desaturated tawny hair streaking wildly as the female carelessly vaulted onto a lower platform. A very large backpack jostled around by her shoulders as she sprinted across a narrow ledge and skittered down a gutter pipe rather gracelessly. The cons jumped down after her, leaving small craters in the concrete and all three darted back into the maze of buildings.

"Mirage? Did you see that?" Windcharger shifted back into bi-pedal mode as the spy did the same.

"Yes. Let's go!" The blue and white Autobot started to rush after.

It didn't take the cassettes long to realize their hunt had turned into a three party chase. They were catching up to the tiring human but had to slow as they pulled out blasters and shot at the Autobots. Shay didn't even notice the additions to the chase and continued until they were all tearing through an area that held freight cars and warehouses.

_'Hey Boss!'_

_'Rumble: Focus on mission.'_

_'But we got Bots on our tailpipes! Oh, and we found the human.'_ Frenzy tossed in his piece and dodged a shot from Mirage. Ahead, no one noticed an exhausted and trembling human dive under a train car for safety. Rumble activated his piledrivers and hammered the ground, making all of them skid to a stop to keep their balance. A few metal cargo carriers toppled over and crashed into the ground with a clamor.

Soundwave replied immediately, _'Evade. Acquire target.'_

_'Trying Boss. Slaggin' glitch is fast. When I get my hands on it-'_ The angry con's rant was cut off as Bluestreak and Tracks swerved into the scene and narrowly missed bowling over Rumble.

_'Frag! There four of them!'_

In another part of the city, Soundwave paused in his work and quickly changed plans, _'Retreat.'_

The Communications Officer wouldn't be able to make it there in time to stop the Autobots from capturing or possibly killing his cassettes. The only logical option was to call them back and see what could be salvaged from this mission. Apparently, his symbiotes didn't agree.

_'But Boss-!'_

_'Negative. Return.'_

A yelp came through the line from Frenzy, _'Watch your side you moron! Pussy bots are gonna get you!'_

Back at the cargo transport yard, Windcharger barely deflected a shot to the helm and gave a kick that would have sent Rumble flying had the mini-con not dodged. Both Decepticons ducked and wove among the shipping containers while taking pot-shots at their enemy. Frenzy snarled a curse at them when he realized they'd lost track of the human.

"Beat it you two-bit glitches!"

Tracks snarked back, "Not likely!"

Some carefully placed shots from their gunner had the cassettes pulling back even farther before bolting away with derogatory remarks and crude comments. Hardly sparing a moment, the Datsun and Corvette shifted into their alt modes to chase after but paused when Mirage and Windcharger remained as they were. Bluestreak's engine rumbled in confusion.

"What are you doing? They're getting away."

Mirage answered, his tone slightly clipped, "They were chasing a human. We need to find out why."

Two sets of optics turned slightly to the woman who was glaring at them as if they kicked puppies for a living. Shay's eyes narrowed even further when the rumbling sports cars turned slightly as if to face the human as well and she realized they were all staring at her as she crouched in relative safety under the empty coach. No one could really blame her for being in a foul mood at that point.

Bluestreak bounced on his tires, "We'll go see about those cons and then comm link back if we spot or catch them. Or see any others. We still haven't found Dirge yet..."

"Ugh, as if I didn't have enough damage to my paint job!" Tracks grumbled as the gunner volunteered them, "We better be going back to base after this. It'll take hours to get out all these dents."

His prima donna muttering was ignored as they turned and drove in the direction of the cassettes. Mirage and Windcharger shared a brief look before carefully and slowly approaching the human's hiding spot. She shuffled farther back and gripped her last weapon, a four inch long knife, in her hand. Sweat soaked her slightly tanned face and chest as the woman tried to slow her excessive breathing. Running through a city like hell hounds were after her was draining, and the description apt. This was going on her '**Never Do It Again**' list, right under '_Playing Chicken'_ and _'Exploding Pop Cans with Firecrackers'._ That last one hadn't even been her idea.

"Hey, you can come out now. The Decepticons are gone." Windcharger's red and gray frame crouched as he tried to peer underneath, as he was smaller than Mirage. What he got was a knife almost slashing his faceplates. The mini-bot jerked back in surprise as his teammate sighed in irritation and crossed his arms.

"Please do come out now. We could just move the train car if we wanted to."

Shay thought his accent was interesting. Not quite stuffy but something similar to it. Still, his statement had logic.

"Forgive me for being hesitant," She replied in the same patient but annoyed tone the spy had used, "I dislike being hunted and am mildly paranoid."

But they could already have grabbed her if they wanted to. So with no other options, she tucked her knife away into her jacket and hesitantly climbed out. Shay stood and carefully brushed off her jeans and coat before studying them. Wary blue eyes set in a rounded face with strong features locked onto their optics and seemed to bore straight through them as if to assess whether or not they were a threat. A few seconds passed as the human and bots sized each other up.

"So you are Autobots and not just Decepticons pretending to gain my trust?"

Mirage scoffed, "Yes, we are Autobots. Blue optics and the Autobot symbol means Autobot." He pointed to the red face adorning his front, "Don't you pay attention to your human news centers?"

Shay's face remained impassive and unimpressed with the Cybertronian before her, even though he was almost four or five times her height. The woman only narrowed her eyes at his words and tried to ignore the poking from the orbs. They were rather lively at the moment as the little lights had figured out something interesting was going on outside. She knew these guys should be Autobots because of the symbols and eye color but that didn't mean those things couldn't be faked.

The other Autobot pushed the conversation along, "So why were Rumble and Frenzy chasing you?"

Now the young woman froze, her eyes hardening and turning just the slightest bit paler. Not that the bots noticed the miniscule change. Once again, she stared at them as if daring the Autobots to force the information from her. Shay's face was so devoid of any clues that it was akin to gazing at a statue. When they merely looked back with Windcharger shifting impatiently, she sighed.

Finally looking away, she took off her backpack. It appeared full and supposedly heavy, but the human easily set it down with one hand. Pulling back the zipper, calloused fingers paused before drawing out a metal and glass sheathed cylinder from the pack's depth. Mirage and Windcharger froze with widened optics. The minibot's jaw fell open as they stared at her cargo in shock.

"I believe it is because of them. If you would be so kind as to give me a ride to the Autobot base?"

.

.

.

_'Prowl sir?'_

_'Yes Windcharger. What is your status?'_

_'All accounted for with a few scrapes. Tracks and Blue are almost done scouting out the entire city. We ran into the cassettes but they fled.'_

_'Anything else?'_

A brief pause. _'Mirage and I are heading back to base. We have a human...'_

* * *

"Hey Boss." Frenzy called as he and his brother filed into the room, "You got that stuff?"

Soundwave didn't look up from his work as his symbiotes settled themselves on top of some wooden crates scattered throughout the dingy warehouse. The host mech's servos carefully exfiltrated the materials from the machines set within their containers. He ignored the question as it's answer was obvious and didn't need to be said.

Rumble skulked over and peered down at the growing pile of tech Soundwave had procured, "Doesn't look like much. Why are we getting these again?"

The taller Decepticon finished pulling out the last of the chips and looked up to note a large crack running along the purple cassette's optic band, "Materials: required."

"Yeah bro. Do you expect this stuff to come outta thin air?" Frenzy waved his servo in his brother's face but Rumble was having a bad day and not in the mood for it. He shoved the twin away with a hard push.

"But why do we have to get it from humans? I thought this stuff was obsolete or whatever Screamer said."

"Well, we can't get all the materials from Cybertronian right now, can we?" Frenzy asked sarcastically as Soundwave stood to separate them before a fight could occur. After subspacing the plundered goods he leaned down to look at his symbiotes.

"Damage: Autobots?"

Frenzy chuckled at the growl Rumble gave, "No. That stupid human shot me with something. Slaggin' glitch..." He looked away with crossed arms and a nasty scowl on his face. There was a brief moment of silence as the host mech contemplated this surprising bit of news. Then he sent a comm link to Dirge for a pickup. Soundwave stalked from the empty building with his cassettes at his heels.

"Target: Description. New Autobot?"

Both mini-cons shook their heads, "Nah, the tracker just pointed to the human. But she had a large bag on her. Maybe she was carrying Blaster's guys or something." With that information tucked away to be studied later, the lead Decepticon looked up to were Dirge was circling. They'd wasted enough time on this two part mission. Successfully completing one of the objectives was better than a complete failure, but Lord Megatron would not be happy. They needed to return with their information and stolen materials.

* * *

Well, this certainly solves my problem of searching for a vehicle, I thought as I stared out the window of the speeding Autobot. Ahead I could see the blue and white snooty race car zipping quickly down the empty road. Was that vehicle even street legal? Although it was a nice design, I wasn't going to tell him that.

My head leaned warily against the window, but this Windcharger guy didn't seem to mind. Urgh, I was tired. My chest was aching fiercely again due to that run. Thank goodness I keep myself in shape. Not paying attention, my fingers traced the stitched pattern on my bag with thoughtful habit. My hand was bleeding a little bit from a cut but it wasn't deep enough to warrant a bandage. Later I would have to put something on it to make sure it didn't get infected.

'We're almost there boys. We've just about made it.' I pushed hope and satisfaction toward the orbs. They'd been worrying since my flight across the city earlier but bounced up emotionally, sending good feelings in return. The corner of my mouth twitched up the barest bit before I closed my eyes.

We did it, but what about after?

Another part of my mind snarled something about thinking too much and to save it for later. Letting out a quiet breath, I hugged my cargo and closed my eyes. Sleep, even in an unfamiliar place such as a sentient robot, came quickly. A week of stress will do that to you.


	16. Chapter 16

Lots of wonderful reviews! falls over in joy* A lot of people seemed to really like the last chapter and I've gotten a lot of favorites! Thank you all! glomps in hugs*

Now, important note: the circle is completed and Shay's little journey has ended, so this is the last chapter where things are in her point of view and we'll be returning to third person like in the beginning. Later, I _may_ have small snippets in Shay's pov but I'm still deciding. For now it's unlikely.

.

.

* * *

That is a huge doorway, I thought. Gazing at the massive opening seemed to only reaffirm the thought that I had finally made it. I did it.

Another, albeit quieter, part of me protested and claimed that there was no way I had actually traveled halfway across the country to the Autobot base. In one piece no less. But the sight of the behemothian metal ship protruding from the rock promptly made that voice shut up. Sunlight glinted upon the dusty orange and I briefly wondered how no one had noticed it before the Autobots had awoken. Surely some person in the last thousand or so years must have discovered it? I wondered what they had thought. My wandering train of inquiry was abruptly disrupted as a chuckle surrounded me and my ride shook gently.

"Most of you guys get that look when you see the Ark. What do you think?" My fingers clenched before relaxing as I realized this Windcharger guy was only commenting on the awe that had shown on my face. A faint smile ghosted and disappeared.

"It it amazing."

And that was the truth. I wouldn't have bothered to say it if the remark wasn't sincere. The Autobot made a pleased sound and silence stole over the conversation when we approached. Passing from afternoon sun to shadow caused my pupils to dilate at the sudden change as the metal doors whooshed away. Not even pausing, Mirage and Windcharger advanced through the colossal entryway and straight down a hallway. I saw a few other Autobots as we drove quickly by and didn't have time to memorize the twist and turns we took before they rolled to a stop in front of a closed doorway.

Unclicking my seat belt, I slid out carrying the bag and looked up when they transformed. There was a notable hesitance as two sets of blue optics glanced at each other before the taller one palmed a screen on the wall. Reinforced orange metal slid to the side and Windcharger ushered me forward. A low growl built in my throat. I did not like their giant hands near me but refrained from voicing my disapproval. It was better to remain polite.

Surprisingly, it wasn't too hot or too cold in the room, but rather lukewarm. I decided I would need to take my denim jacket off soon. My frosty eyes cast around with wariness, taking in the large tables, tools, and various equipment. That didn't settle my nerves and I realized my expression was most likely not inviting. But at the moment I didn't care. The lights picked up on my worry and tried to send back reassurance. Mischief proceeded to 'tickle' me before I mentally thanked him and nudged the presence away. Focus was needed right now.

A heavy footstep brought my attention towards another bot, this one mainly white with red plating on his hands and pelvic area. Crimson crosses shone proudly from his shoulders and made it quite evident that he transformed into an ambulance. He turned light blue eyes toward us and my escorts shifted on their feet a little. I studied the darker gray metal that started on the new bot's forehead. The point extended outward and curved up into two points. The head decoration was interesting.

Scowling, the new one walked closer as I pulled the container out. There wasn't a good reason to put off the inevitable but my fingers twitched as paranoia reared it's head. I shoved it away and set the cylinder on the floor with a subtle clank.

The footsteps didn't help. Mirage seemed to always walk quietly and Windcharger had tried to be careful of his steps near me, yet the ambulance apparently hadn't a care for that. He stomped up like we had just interrupted something important. The 'pissed-off dragon' glare hardly diffused the tension. If I got stepped on, then _I _would be pissed off.

Automatically my arms crossed in defense before he spoke harshly, "What...is this?"

And the conversation didn't exactly go uphill from there.

Something heavy settled in me when I let him pick up Sullen and Mischief. The medic (I assumed him to be a doctor of some sort) moved them up higher to a table where I couldn't see the orbs anymore and the dread grew. Politeness had pretty much gone out the window when I'd growled earlier. It really didn't matter. I needed to make sure they were safe.

The alabaster and red giant leaned down to offer me a hand, although his expression still seemed cross, "It would be easier for everyone if you weren't down there. So either let me help or climb up yourself."

My glare intensified as I silently threatened him. Doc, you better not be a threat. But there really wasn't much choice here. How much did I trust these guys?

.

.

.

It felt like someone had fired a bullet through my chest.

I jumped to my feet, almost not believing my ears, "Those two I saw, the red and yellow ones, aren't dead? They're just...here?"

My hand gestured toward the spinning cerulean lights that were currently tugging at me. They were demanding to know why my emotions were spiraling out of control. I didn't answer just yet, I couldn't.

The bot named Ratchet affirmed my hope, "Yes, yes. Of course, we'll have to..." I tuned the rest out.

Yellow and Red hadn't died. They had been the glowing orbs the whole time. I hadn't seen someone die. A happy and consoled grin broke across my face as I answered the lights; joy, relief, and comfort flooding across to them. It was as if the rocks on my shoulders had been lifted away. Yellow hadn't died right in front of me and I hadn't failed to save him. They were both right here, safe.

* * *

Later, quite a bit later, Prowl sat down on a chair that had been pulled up to a med-berth. It was the tactician's job to make sure he had all the facts. While it seemed Shay's appearance had resolved the question of why the Decepticons had been nearby, it was always a good idea to go over all the important points. And they couldn't go to his office because the human refused to leave the medbay right now.

The conversation went easily enough. Although hesitant to volunteer information about herself, the woman readily discussed her journey here. Faded blue eyes narrowing slightly, Miss Carpenter glossed over how bad the fight with the three male humans had been and tried to downplay the evident injuries sustained, not knowing that the officers had seen a video of the scuffle already. Prowl had agreed with her that challenging Wildrider on the road had not been the most ideal plan but with few options it was not completely rash. With a grim set in her jaw, the human female had quite adamantly stated that she was never going to do it again.

His doorwings twitched up the barest bit in amusement at her dry and serious tone before he asked about the only action he had not been able to logically understand, "Why did you not tell the authority figures what had happened and let them deal with it?"

Although not as expressive as most of the humans he had met, the Praxian still caught a slight grimace, "Multiple reasons."

Prowl remained silent at her tired answer and waited as Shay ran her fingers through her hair. The woman sighed and rubbed a spot on her jeans.

"One, and least importantly, it got me a chance to do something different. It was quite unlikely that another chance to travel across the country was going to present itself." Mentally, the tactician was thankful for her formal syntax. It was quite a bit easier for him to understand rather than the more popular slang people her age seemed to use.

"Two is trust. I couldn't trust the police to handle it. What if they damaged them? Or someone took them away to see what they were? I'm afraid I can't put a large amount of confidence in people I don't know. They would have kept the lights and you or I would have been none the wiser."

Now Prowl frowned slightly, "The law enforcement officers are supposed to follow a strict code of conduct. I'm sure they would have returned the Twin's sparks to us."

"Are you telling me there's never been crooked cops?" A delicate eyebrow raised in disbelief, "If I'd known someone who was a police officer then I would have spoken with them. But I didn't and deemed it safer to come on my own."

While Prowl tried to think of a response to that, Shay unfolded her crossed legs and stood. Walking a few feet closer, the woman sat on the edge of the berth and hung her feet over. She tilted her body forward and up to look him in the optics before asking another question.

"Would you have rather had the police or I bring them here?"

"That question is ridiculous. It has already happened so trying to decide what decision I would make prior to the knowledge I now have is pointless. I did not know about this beforehand so I can not accurately say which I would have preferred." The tactician's battle computer started scrolling through alternatives before he stopped those thoughts.

She shrugged in response and continued, "Anyway, the last and most important reason is because the yellow one, Sunstreaker, asked me to."

A red chevron tipped as he eyed her uncomprehending, "Care to elaborate?"

Lips thinned as Shay's tired face turned thoughtful, trying to put her thoughts into words, "He told _me_ to get the container to you guys. I though he had died. If someone appeared to be dying and asked you to do something as their dying wish, would you do it?"

"That would depend on what he or she asked." Prowl replied practically.

Shay's eyebrows scrunched by the barest noticeable bit and eyes narrowed, "If they asked you to keep something or someone safe, would you?"

"Yes." No hesitance.

A nod, "Then you can see why. Not only would it have been disrespectful but giving them to any law enforcement would have just been handing responsibility to someone else."

Silence before the black and white Autobot tipped his helm in acknowledgment and stood, concluding his questioning session, "Miss Carpenter..."

"Call me Shay or I'll call you Mr. Tactician." She cut him off. Apparently, someone had been paying attention when he'd introduced himself and what he did around the Ark.

Not reacting to the sharp tone, he continued, "Thank you Shay. For returning the Twins and...for your sense of honor. It has given us back what we thought was lost."

Her mouth curved up a little and eyes softened, "You are quite welcome. I'm just glad they're safe."

.

.

.

**Bluestreak Log: 017-395 **

_'- and the Twins are alive! I can't believe it! Not everybody knows yet and I can't talk about it but I'm just sooooo glad they aren't dead like we all thought they were. And all the bots that do know don't look so depressed anymore, which is a good thing. I know I was really sad and upset. I don't like it when my friends and teammates die..._

_But they're here! And they never actually died! It's really odd actually, a human had them the whole time. I got to talk to her and she's pretty quiet but nice. I bet she's just really shy or something._

_Shay's kinda odd though. Not in a bad way or anything just...I dunno. We didn't frighten her, __at all__. Which is a bit weird 'cause most humans are skittish or look up to us like we're guardians. Not that the latter is a bad thing, she just didn't do that. She looks at us like we're equals. Like if one of us were to start something she'd deal with us like she'd deal with any other human. It kinda refreshing actually. _

_I think it's her optics- er, eyes. They're just light blue but when she looks at you...it's hard to look away. I dunno how to describe it. There's a bit of regalness in her face, and knowledge- like she __knows__ something everyone else doesn't. But her expression and eyes, there's something off putting in there. Like she's staring right to your core. Optimus gets that look, and so does Prowl sometimes, but hers... isn't all that benevolent. Almost judging, almost angry and wild, almost dangerous, but not quite. Like she chooses not to! Which is funny 'cause Shay's just a little human. Funny weird, not funny 'haha'. But anyway, Shay was pretty friendly once I got past the wariness. I bet she was just worried about the Twins. I can't get her expression out of my processor though. It seemed so...above everything else. As if someone took an ancient deity and placed them in a lowly mortal body._

_Huh. Prowl's right, I've probably been watching too much tv. But earth culture is so interesting! There's this one show where people go all over the world-'_

.

.

.

Jazz drove out of the Ark with music playing on his radio and a passenger in his seats, "Closest train station is only thirty miles away. Yah sure ya don't want meh to drive ya home? It'd be quicker."

"I'll be fine."

The woman didn't look up, staring out the window with a blank expression. You could barely hear her words above the music. The saboteur turned down his tunes to a barely perceptible range.

"Are ya alright?"

Unknown to the Autobot, Shay was not alright. A cold numbness similar to the beginning effects of anesthesia had started in her chest and the feeling only grew as they put the miles behind them. Some of the pain must have shown in her tense posture or perhaps her face. Either way, the young woman's response was bland.

"I'm fine."

Jazz hated that phrase. Usually, bots could tell when a human was lying to them because of changes in the heart beat and respiration. But some people repeated that dreadful phrase so often that it was automatic and therefore, impossible to be picked apart as a lie.

He let out a silent sigh but kept his voice neutral, "Well, if ya insist."

Shay nodded, still keeping her eyes focused on the outside world through the glass. Her expression started to slide into pain and despair but she quickly hid it. A hand rubbed her aching chest without conscious thought. The woman's mood turned pensive. 'This is the right thing to do. If you stayed then you would just have to say goodbye after they woke up. And that would be harder. It would hurt more,' she thought. Decision confirmed, she hoped that distance and time would ease the numbing discomfort. People stared at the shiny sports car that pulled into the lot next to the train station. Shay hadn't reacted either way when he'd turned his music down so halfway there it was up again. And thankfully for her ears, at respectable levels. Parking, he opened the door so she could get out.

"Here ya are lil' lady." Headlights flashed, causing more heads to turn. And quickly look away at the glaring sharp eyes. Shay was not in the mood to deal with others.

"Thank you Jazz."

A quiet murmur. The pain had left but the spreading cold remained. She was too tired to say much. With a final farewell the woman dipped her head in respect and slipped into the train station. Seeking out an empty bench, she sat and pulled out her phone and wallet from her pockets. The only items to carry now that she'd lost her other bag. Leaning back she waited and waited. When she checked again, her phone showed twenty minutes had passed. The woman stood and slowly strolled out. She kept her head down and careful eyes noted an empty space where Jazz had been. Letting out a pent up breath, Shay started walking away.

Miss Carpenter never noticed the Martini Porsche near the edge of the parking lot in the shade. But he certainly noticed her. Sensors kept watch of the human female until she had disappeared down the block. A moment or so passed before Jazz started up his engine and turned back to the base.

A memory file played; '_The train station. If you could just drop me off there, I'll be fine.'_

'Hmm.' The saboteur would have grinned if he'd been in his bipedal mode. 'Clever human. Yer smart with yer words,' He thought. Shay had _never_ said she would board a train. Implied- yes, actually said it- no. Therefore, she had never lied. The Autobot bounced on his wheels slightly as a delighted and entertained chuckle could be heard.

.

.

.

music: Epic Pop- Show Me Where I Belong

"I don't care." growled Sunstreaker, optics still in the paler range, "It's just a stupid human."

With folded arms, he leaned back against the wall of their shared quarters. Ratchet had told them to rest and stay off active duty for a week. It also gave Optimus time to explain to the others that the Twins were alive while said frontliners recharged. Sideswipe looked back at his brother pleading.

"But Sunny..."

"Don't call me that!"

The carnelian twin frowned and tried again, "But we need to at least go talk to her! We have to figure out what happened!"

Sunstreaker snarled, servos balled into fists as he straightened, "She. Left. That human doesn't want anything to do with us! She didn't stay long enough to talk. What makes you think going after her would be a good idea? She. Left."

With an angry rumble, the golden mech stalked across the room to his berth. Pulling out a container of wax and a rag, he started to polish and tried to get himself back to his previous perfection while keeping his temper down. A faint scent of citrus from the wax scented the air. They must have been out of the regular kind. Sunny hated the polish that smelled like organic vegetation.

Sideswipe winced marginally and sank down on his own berth, "She had to have a reason. You felt her, she cared. Something must have happened."

His brother didn't look up, "Why do you care? She's a human. Humans are gross and disgusting."

"What about Spike and Carly? And Sparkplug? You've never had a problem with them before." The red Autobot accused, "Tracks can't stand organic stuff but he's still friends with Raoul. What's your deal bro?"

"I'm not Tracks." Was the only answer.

Sides narrowed indigo optics at his sibling and _pushed_ at their bond. For a split second he felt past the anger to the pain. Sadness, betrayal, distrust. Sideswipe sighed. Sunny and himself weren't very trusting people. And now that trust was broken, at least in his brother's case. Sideswipe was _sure_ something had made the human leave. He just didn't know what.

"Maybe she was scared." He said quietly, thoughtful, "Maybe she's scared of Cybertronians and...didn't want to be around us and all the others here."

Finally Sunstreaker stopped what he was doing to look up, "Do you think she heard from everyone that we're dangerous and decided not to talk to us first?" Ice edged into his voice, a muted hiss in the stillness of their room.

The ruby frontliner just shrugged, shoulder pads twinging from the recent patch-ups, "I don't know. But you remember how she felt right before she left. She was sad and trying to cheer us up."

He rubbed his helm with one black servo and brought his knees up to his chest while his twin turned back to his work.

"We shouldn't have done that. Especially because she's human."

"We don't even _know_ what we did, or that we were doing anything at the time. It's not like it was on purpose." Sideswipe countered, "Maybe it was just because we were in the spark container that we could reach out like that. It's ….we probably can't even do it now."

"Have you tried?"

A pause as Sideswipe tried to do what had been easy in the glass and metal container, "...yeah. Nothing." Sunstreaker nodded at his brother's admission.

"Then there's no reason to keep after this. I don't care why she left. I don't want to deal with a human."

.

.

.

Two days after leaving the Ark Shay had finally gotten back to her Dad's truck. And had only found herself lost twice. She blamed it on no longer having a map. But lo and behold in the evening sun was the vehicle still hidden in the rundown wood structure. Taking a deep breath of crisp and dry air, the woman decided that she had time and lay down for a nap.

Waking long after the sun had set, Shay stretched and climbed a nearby hillock to watch the moon and stars. Silver swathed the short grasses and surrounding fields. The trees behind her creaked their nightly conversations. With no one around for miles to hear, the woman let down her defenses. Tears swelled in moonlight reflective eyes before dripping down to the chilled ground. A wail of pain and grief burst from her center and echoed in the frosted luminous dark. The only response was a coyote's howl in the distance.


	17. Chapter 17

Dang you guys are killing me with guilt here! I already feel bad for Shay and then you guys send me reviews saying how sad the last chapter made you feel. (seriously though, I always love the reviews) I'm actually glad you guys care enough about the characters that it made you sad.

Things are going to stay a bit sad for the next chapter or two but it will get better after that, I absolutely promise! (that and Sunstreaker threatened to hide my body if things didn't turn out good.)

.

.

.

Waves slapped against slimy ocean-smoothed boulders in the beginning stages of dawn. As the far off shrieks of gulls and early birds floated above the choppy flow, fog drifted up from the water to smother whatever sturdy plant life had managed to grow by the salted and humid shore. The sun was not up yet but enough light reflected off the horizon to see by. It could barely be called morning. But if one were to come by the waters of the Atlantic and pass the rusted and crumbling metal poles of an decrepit oil rig twenty yards out then they'd hit the land. Skirting along the rocky crag of a coast would lead one a bit north and then they might just chance upon the much newer hydroelectric power plant. It stuck out from the local environment with all it's pale concrete and bright lights, but was situated into a little cove enough that the building itself wasn't that noticeable at first. The sound of spinning turbines could barely be heard above the rhythm of the briny sea-water.

Now the lights were out, glass crushed down and broken. A concrete wall of one of the industrious buildings was mangled and lacerations scarred what was left standing. The missing pieces were lying helter-skelter upon the ground like one throws lego blocks, irrelevant and ignored in the dark. Where people should have been, the control room, was abandoned and no human walked among the wreckage. They were either dead or had fled the scene a few hours earlier. It was eerily quiet save for the slap of waves, hum of engines and then disdainful words cut through the air. The surrounding silence and fading night demanded harsh whispers. Instead, like a slap to the face, it got a shout.

At this shattered building, at o'dark in the morning, a dispute grew louder.

"Well, why aren't you helping?!" An echoing mechanical voice belonging to Astrotrain resounded off the remaining walls. The purple and gray triplechanger let go of the energon cubes he was currently stacking and straightened so that he was glaring down at the seeker. Glimmering pink liquid that almost glowed in the pre-dawn light sloshed inside the containers as they clattered to the ground.

Starscream's scratchy high-pitched tone answered him with a sneer, "I am helping. I'm making sure you buffoons don't screw up. Obviously _someone_ has to give orders."

The silent 'And that someone is me,' went unspoken but not unheard. Skywarp stopped what he was doing to watch, the upward tilt of black and violet striped wings giving away his anticipation for a fight. He raised his voice to side with his trine-mate.

"You tell him Screamy!" The encouragement wasn't appreciated and the lead seeker glared at Skywarp.

The last Decepticon merely sighed and continued to use the hydropower to fill up the empty cubes. Thundercracker stepped over rubble from one of the recently destroyed structures and grabbed a few more empty containers. Leave it to his teammates to argue instead of actually doing the job right. Megatron wasn't going to be happy when they were late. And he was already in a bad mood.

Flaring out his much larger wings in irritation, the triplechanger growled back, "Astrotrain will not do work if you will not Starscream."

Skywarp gave a quiet, "Oooooh buuuuuurn." which was promptly ignored. The red, blue and white Air Commander twitched his own aerial limbs up in intimidation and bared pointed denta. Crimson optics glowed brighter and became embers in the dark.

"_I'm_ in charge you glitch-helm, so finish stacking and load up or I'll..."

Whatever threat he'd been thinking of was forgotten as a rather loud 'BOOM' of cannonfire resonated far too close for personal comfort. Starscream ducked his black helm just as a projectile shot past, nearly taking it off his shoulders. It took half a second for his processor to register that it was a cybertronian heavy artillery missile and that meant one thing: Autobots. Behind him, the shell hit the dirt with a tremor and left a scorching crater in the already coarse and bumpy ground.

A rust red tank rolled around the corner of a dirt track by a grouping of trees, treads crushing stone and branches underneath in loud snaps and pops, "BAMM! Now howdaya like that? BLAM!" A way too cheerful voice called.

Skywarp yanked out his blaster and squeezed off a few shots as Starscream shrieked orders. Their trine-mate dropped the cubes he'd been carrying and ducked behind a low crumbling wall to avoid Warpath's second shot. More Autobots appeared farther back behind the minibot.

A shrill cry rang out, "Astrotrain, jet mode! Skywarp load the energon cubes into his hold!"

The behemoth triplechanger looked ready to protest and fight the Autobots but Starscream was in charge and they _did _have to get the energon. After wasting a few precious seconds of processor power to figure out the commander's logic, Astrotrain transformed into his aerial mode and opened his cargo bay. Starscream had already turned back to shoot at the invading faction. Burst of light and blaster fire lit up the dark beach area and the first rays of real sunlight started to appear in the east. By now there was a half light to see by.

At the heels of Warpath came Smokescreen and Cliffjumper. The other red minibot had gotten a position by a copse of trees and was taking pot shots at the teleporter's vulnerable form, as Skywarp couldn't shoot back with his servos full of cubes. Thundercracker and Starscream fired in return from their prospective barriers as Smokescreen braked to a halt and transformed. Sandy dirt flew up in his wake.

"You were supposed to wait for us! We could have snuck up on them!" Snipped the unhappy praxian.

Warpath only chuckled, "Why sneak up on 'em when we can blast 'em sky high? BAM! KAPOW!"

Several more shots went off, one nearly destroying the blue seeker's self defense of deteriorating gray concrete and the other smashing very close to the large idling jet. Astrotrain growled at the proximity of the shot, cycling soggy and salted morning air through his vents. It wasn't audible over the sounds of battle. Starscream apparently had gotten over his surprise and decided he'd had enough. Taking to the rapidly brightening sky, he zipped upward before pulling a steep dive. A whistle split the air like a knife as the tri-colored form spiraled down and rained blaster fire upon the crouched forms. Warpath couldn't lift his cannon high enough and shifted forms for better aim. Even then, his shots were too slow and the flier easily dodged. Thundercracker's ammunition made them pull back a little farther and then the ultramarine jet leaped to the air as well.

With the seekers above, the Autobot couldn't take a go at the grounded jets as they had to watch the skies and their cover was significantly less useful. They knew it, the Decepticons knew it. And then something hit Starscream and the screechy red jet fell from the atmosphere.

Down went a metal blur until framing crashed into the ground with a horrendous shriek of metal on rock and sparks erupted. A small furrow wound through the dirt to where they landed and when the Air Commander looked up the sun had started to bath the misty water and wet land in it's light. Said rays reflected off shining red paint, a face he'd never thought he'd have to see again and a maniacal smirk. Starscream let out a cry of disbelief and shock before kicking the newcomer off him on pure reflex. Another shout, this one from above, as the blue seeker zipped over their heads. He nearly scoured the ground before pulling up and barrel rolling, trying to dislodge the golden being on his back. Thundercracker couldn't lift high enough before they crashed into one of the remaining buildings. Dust, mortar and smoke diluted out from the collapse like a cloud and Astrotrain sneezed to clear it out of his intakes.

The other Autobots had paused to catch a break and everyone stopped when Starscream had fallen. Optics turned to the second wreckage as the seeker lunged out first and bolted for his comrades. Another figure pushed itself up and stalked from the fallen structure with a terrifying look on his face. Skywarp looked back and forth between the two who had just entered the battle field and then dropped the energon he'd been loading into Astrotrain.

"Gggggghhhhooooosssttttsss!" A wail of alarm came from his vocalizer as he aimed his blasters at Sideswipe who was just a bit nearer.

By now the sun was most definitely up and could be seen above the tide. The fog started to slip away in the burning of the dawn. The sunrise glinted on the newly painted and glossed metal of the assailants and Starscream gaped as the carnelian pit-spawn gave an elegant bow without taking his optics off of them.

"Why yes, we are. My brother and I will haunt you all for the rest of your days." A lunatic grin graced his face plates.

The violet and black flier screamed, "Nooooooo!" in horror as TC valiantly resisted the urge to facepalm. And failed. Surely Skywarp wasn't that naive...? Apparently so.

Blasts came from the direction of the other Autobots as they pushed forward, Smokescreen letting out a whoop at the Twin's appearance. Astrotrain yelled at the other cons to get their afts in gear as several shots came too close to him and the seekers fired back at the crouched forms with blue optics. Starscream got up and ran closer to the other cons before he pushed his violet trine-mate back toward his task and aimed null rays at the Twins. Rage lit his features, as now they didn't have an air advantage. If they flew up, the frontliners would just go up after them and Warp and the triplechanger would have no cover. Nothing to stop the other three from taking the energon. They'd never get out of here with their cargo at this rate.

"You Were Dead!" the trine leader howled at his enemies. They ruined everything! And they had been dead! He had seen the Autobots trying to revive them on that field where the Constructicons had battled. The cassettes had made them selves useful and spied, finding out that their enemy was mourning. How the Pit were these slag-headed scrap heaps here!?

Sunstreaker surged at him with barely restrained anger, forcing the flier to narrowly miss getting his faceplates punched in, "Not yet we're not."

Their feet crushed structural fragments into the sand and rock as they twisted and lunged, trying to get an upper hand. More canon fire from Warpath left deep holes in the ground and one almost smashed into Astrotrain's left wing. The large flier had pretty much just stayed there so Skywarp could load the energon into his hold but decided that the 'sitting duck' routine was over and started his thrusters. Cliffjumper leaped around Thundercracker and blasted a lucky shot at the exposed cubes that had not yet been loaded but were stacked on the ground like a pile of grenades just waiting to be set off. It was a wonder that a stray shot hadn't hit them yet. But now several fragmented into fire and metal shards. Astrotrain roared at the detonation heat suddenly scorching his side and rolled forward. Engine thundering, he took off from the ground and ignored Starscream's furious shout.

Outnumbered and realizing they couldn't win, the Air Commander called a retreat, "TC, Warp, follow him and return to base with the energon!"

People could make fun of his voice all they wanted, but it was useful in battle. It was quite a bit easier to hear over the tumult of other sounds. Swiftly changing forms, the others of his trine took to the skies and spun around the ensuing laser fire. Starscream himself bolted for the half destroyed hydroplant and lunged inside. Rapidly pulling his scarlet wings back to fit in, the seeker ripped several smaller turbines and coolant systems out of the machinery. He should have done this earlier.

'Stupid Auto-brats ruin everything! This was all their fault!' He snarled to himself, knowing Megatron would be furious when he learned the irritating frontliners were still alive. Quickly he stuffed the loot in his subspace and transformed.

The Autobots had chased after him and had just reached the gaping hole in the building when the jet burst from the ceiling and hightailed it out of there. With no enemy, the mechs slowly lowered their weapons and checked each other for injuries. The sound of the waves was suddenly much louder in the subsequent silence. Only the distant call of avians joined the crashing water.

"Huh, cowards." Muttered Cliffjumper as the minibot poked around the still moving turbine and picked up some abandoned cubes that held energon.

Warpath fist pumped, "You can say that again. Did you see how fast they flew away? Baboom! They were outta here!"

Inspecting the new dents on his frame, Sunstreaker broke in without looking up, "You lot seemed like you were getting hammered pretty hard before we got here."

"Well, what took you so long?" The red car snarked.

The tawny colored twin gave a slight glare to his brother who shrugged nonchalantly, "I mighta tripped a bit."

"And knocked me over."

"Oh boo hoo Sunshine. You got more scratches from falling into that building than you got from me bumping into you."

"Hey," Smokescreen gained their attention as they trekked back to Skyfire, "Anyone else think it's weird that Starscream ran into the building? Why would he do that?"

The others paused and looked at each other blankly before Warpath shrugged, "Who knows. They're cons. Can't make heads or tails of half the stuff they do anyway."

Deciding to leave it for now, Sideswipe immediately lightened the conversation, "Did you see their faces when they saw us? Man, that was priceless! I'd pay money for a copy of that."

"I can't believe Skywarp believed you were ghosts." Chuckled Smokscreen and the others joined in. Sunstreaker gave an amused snort before suddenly pausing. The golden bot's footsteps slowed to a halt as a brief brush came from the inside. He looked at the red hellion but his brother hadn't seemed to notice. Sideswipe then stopped and looked back at him with confusion coming through the sibling bond. No, this feeling was different. Not from Sideswipe. The flimsy sensation was like the brush of a butterflies wing and almost not there at all, but Sunstreaker could still feel the slightest tinge of pain emanating from it.

Optics narrowed in concentration, he tried to grasp at whatever it was. But as grains of sand through fingers, it fell away and left him with nothing but the fleeting notion that something was missing. With a frown he shook it off and shrugged at his brother.

'I just need more recharge,' the frontliner thought to himself as they returned to the shuttle-former and headed back to base.

* * *

_Knock knock knock_

'Go Away.' She thought.

_Knock knock_

'I will throw things at you. I'm not in the mood to deal with whatever...' More pounding on the door interrupted her internal rant.

_Knock knock_ "Come one Shay. Answer the door or I'll start singing the poptart song at the top of my lungs." A gleeful feminine voice sounded muffled by the wood that blocked her entrance into the apartment.

Lifting her head from the instruction manual, Shay peered balefully at the door and muttered, " I swear you do that to torture people."

But the irritated female still got up to unlock it. As soon as the two deadbolts clicked to the side, a fiery haired young woman rushed in like a whirlwind. In barely any time at all she'd set a bag of groceries in the kitchen, another bag with unknown contents by the table, hugged Shay at bone-crushing strength and seated herself to peer at what lay on the wood.

"Instructions for a dishwasher? Come on girl, it's not that hard to figure out." A heart-shaped face turned incredulously to the other as Shay locked the door and sighed, once again settling into her chair.

"Nice to see you to Cassidy. And unlike you, I prefer to know what I'm doing instead of just blundering in. I don't want to break it."

Brushing her brown hair back, she took a sip of tea and reached to pull the booklet back as Cassidy made an 'ah ha!' sound, "I forgot. You always washed dishes by hand back home. You used a dishwasher at my house though."

"Once in a blue moon Cass. It's been a while and it's not even the same type." The apartment was small and cheap but the upside was it miraculously came with a dishwasher. So she may as well use what had been given. Suddenly the shorter woman turned wary blue eyes to the pale-skinned female across from her.

"So, what brings you over? I hope no one died."

Cassidy snickered, "Your sense of humor sucks. Seriously though, just wanted to come see how you're doing. And I brought a present," a sandal covered foot nudged the plastic bag at her feet which still held dubious things inside, "Anyways, Darian been here yet?"

The smile turned into a worried look as Shay returned her eyes to the words on thin paper, "He's dropping by next week."

Going home after leaving the Autobot base had been surprisingly...dull. The young woman had taken her dad's truck to a repair place and gotten it fixed, which had taken a huge chunk out of her savings. How all the damage got there was easily explained too, as apparently she was not the only one who had come in because of the 'crazy Ferrari driver' several days before. Role in the incident diminished, she'd had time to kill while the vehicle was being repaired and spent it on the inevitable phone calls.

The first was to the Jade Creek Police to explain that she was not missing. Understandably, they wanted to know why she had just up and left and what she had been doing. Shay had argued and politely bickered for the better part of an hour trying to explain that it was her own business and the woman had indeed left some sort of warning for her family. With gritted teeth, she explained that perhaps her father had not seen the note.

A lie. She would have words with him once she got home.

They were rather insistent on knowing why she had left and that just going off to who knows where for more than a week was highly suspicious.. In the most respectful manner one could use, Shay had made it quiet obvious that it was a personal matter and they had no right to go digging. To which they replied that she seemed to be hiding something and she responded with:

'_As I have broken no laws, you have no right to criticize me. Thank you for doing your job. It is appreciated but unnecessary right now. Have a good day.'_ And ended the call.

More and more lies. There was no doubt she'd broken a law or two on her journey but Miss Carpenter was not going to admit that to the police right now. Another call, this one to her father as the law enforcements would undoubtedly inform him of the new development sooner or later.

Sitting on the stone steps outside the shop, Shay took a deep breath and studied the horizon before punching in the numbers. It went slightly worse than the first call. For a solid five minutes Darian had ranted while she held the phone away from her ear. People walking by had given her odd looks while she stared back blankly. When the man had finally started to calm down she had stated that she was on her way home and they were going to have a talk.

Which sparked another rant and she hung up again.

Not the best course of action but immensely satisfying.

Especially considering her own annoyance at her father's behavior. But several days seemed to sweep by like petals in a windstorm. She stopped briefly in Riverton to leave a cake on the steps of Margaret and Peter's house (it had taken her an hour to find it again) and then headed home. Shay was suddenly back in her old town, driving past familiar aged buildings and fields before pulling into the partially overgrown gravel drive. It crackled underfoot in a sound she would have recognized in her sleep, having heard it as far back as she could recall. Only two steps out of the newly fixed truck and then she'd been swept up in a hug.

Tears had threatened to escape the walls of her eyes. Relief and content wrapped around the woman and held close as she breathed in the smell of pine, sweat and that human scent. Resting against each other, the father and daughter stayed silent until Shay realized that the world wouldn't let her put things off any longer and she pulled back.

Long story short, Darian had been out of his mind with worry that Shay had been in danger and angry that she wouldn't tell him what had happened. The young woman was irritated that he'd lied about the note and frustrated that people kept trying to get her to talk about why she was gone for almost two weeks. Although several of those days didn't count in her mind, as she'd called to say she was coming back.

Tension, stillness, and a difficult silence descended upon the Carpenter household. Shay went back to work as best she could, cleaned, cooked, gardened and did all manner of her normal everyday routine. It had been nice and a bit odd to stay in one spot for more than a day after so much travel. She had tromped through Autumn bright trees to check her treasure box, sat on the creaky porch to watch the sunrise and sunsets over treetops, and cleaned up the vegetable plots for winter. It was so _nice_ to stand in her own yard and just breath in the incense of rosemary, Queen Anne's lace blooms, and dirt.

But at the same time, it was like a worn out toy. Once you grow up you see things with different eyes. The land, the trees and fields, even her room, were the same. Yet they weren't as bright as they used to be.

It felt the same, sounded, smelled, and even the bread she made had the familiar taste. But none of it felt as comforting as it did before. Perhaps one could understand better if they pulled down an old photo album and found a picture of themselves as a child. Everything seen in the picture would be recognizable and familiar, but at the same time far away. Unreachable and in the past.

The coming and going numbness in her chest didn't help. Instead it made the restlessness grow stronger until Shay started to feel claustrophobic, something that had never happened before. Eventually it got to be too much.

By day five of awkward conversation, worried sidelong glances and the air stifled by unsaid things, Shay snapped. It started with her saying that she was thinking about taking Andrew up on his offer and moving to North Carolina where he and Cassidy were. And then it spiraled out of control. Many hurtful words and accusations shredded the ties between them:

_'-You don't tell me things! Don't you trust me?! How can I help you-'_

_'I can't! Not with everything because YOU can't let me do things on my own-'_

_'-You never listen and think you know everything. You are still young!'_

_'I left a damn note and what did you do...?!'_

Eventually they'd both run out of things to say and just looked at each other with identical crossed arms and tired eyes.

_'Can we just...not argue please? I really...I really miss being able to rely on you.'_

_'You can always rely on-'_

_'No I can't. You always take over and try to do it yourself or whatever you think is best. Sometimes I have to do things by myself. Like now. And like before. That's why I didn't tell you I was leaving.'_

Silence

_'I can't stay here forever and I really want to take this chance. Please dad?'_

That night had ended with the two discussing topics that had been previously avoided. Neither would take back their decisions about what they thought was right, and Darian wouldn't fully admit to being in the wrong except for lying about the note. But they actually tried to listen to each others opinions instead of doing there own thing and he accepted that his daughter needed to be on her own in the world. It wasn't perfect, not by a long shot, but it was much better than it had been before.

Which meant several weeks later Shay was in her own apartment on the east side of the country and trying to hold a job at a fitness center as an assistant and taking self-defense classes almost for free because she worked there. Life had settled itself and a routine had been established. Everything was good.

Except for the pesky chill in her center that seemed to be getting worse.

The apartment was spotless and almost impersonal even though the young woman had fully moved in. A very small place, it had a living room separated from a tiny kitchen only by a half wall that cut between the two. On this wall sat a few herb plants in clay pots that made the room smell like sage and oregano. A door on the left led to the bedroom that connected to the bathroom. Her treasure box was placed on the bottom shelf of the book case with stacks of CDs, books, and an old stereo. Sunlight peeked through the two awning windows by the living room and kitchen. The bright rays lit up the pale blue walls and cream colored couch, while dancing on the glossed oak wood chairs and second-hand table. Only the plants, books and dented toolbox showed that someone actually lived there. A fact that had not escaped the red-head.

Cassidy had been quite adamant that Shay at least decorate the walls a little and still hadn't given up, judging by the way she held out the 'present', "Here you are!"

Giving an amused look and raised eyebrow to the megawatt smile from her friend, Shay opened the plastic bags. Reaching a hand in and pulling out the objects revealed two framed pictures about half a foot long each. With mock seriousness and an excited grin, Cassidy bounced slightly in her seat.

"Well? What do you think?"

An entertained huff came from Shay as she studied the images. One was a simple print of a watercolor rainforest. The other was a group shot of all of them (including her father) from several years back.

"You got a print of this and framed it?"

Her hand tilted to flash the group shot at her friend. Cassidy grinned, shining white teeth and bobbing her auburn hair. Shaking her head and smiling in return, Shay let the other woman help her hang them up. They easily chatted as they worked, making sure the frames were straight before snacking on some fruit. Just as they were about finished and the conversation about Andrew's recent dunking in the lake started to slow, Cassidy frowned and studied the shorter woman. Worry became visible in her green-brown eyes.

Shay tipped her head, "What?"

"Are you alright? You look tired. I mean, I noticed when I first walked in but I don't remember the last time you looked _this _exhausted."

Shaking sepia toned hair, the woman pleaded healthy, "Just having trouble sleeping. Stress." A hand waved away the inquiry as if it weren't important at all. Cassidy nodded, thinking it was all the stress of moving. Shay knew it was from something else.

At random times the numbness inside would retreat enough that pain would make it hard to breath. That morning especially had been bad and the woman had ended up lying on the couch and listening to music. She'd hoped a distraction would have helped but wasn't sure if she succeeded or not. Either way between her chest, the aching behind her eyes, and less of an appetite, she'd been getting little sleep. But Shay wasn't going to tell anyone about it and worry them unnecessarily. She knew exactly when it had started and it didn't take a genius to figure out what probably had caused it. Time and distance. It would get better, she was sure of it.

Eventually Cassidy left to go to work and Shay finished the regular odds and ends that needed to be done. As evening approached on silent wings, she climbed out her window to sit on the fire escape. The glow of city lights to the south-east blocked the stars as early evening fell and the horizon lit up in a flaming glow to the west. Quietly, she lay her head on the cold iron and wondered why. Everything was good now and she still wasn't happy.

Selfish.

Scowling at the internal voice, a sigh blew out to mix with the scents of smoke and concrete, copper slated roofs and brick. Why couldn't this be right? Why couldn't she accept things as they were? Faded eyes glittered suspiciously as Shay watched the day city settle for the night and the nocturnal population start to wake. Absently her hand rubbed the twinging in her chest.

She would make this work.

.

.

_'_Let me take you when I go, when I go  
I don't wanna do this on my own, on my own  
I'm breaking free, but of these chains  
Let this one remain  
Let me take you when I go '

'-And if I let go of these chains now will I float away  
Can I just hold on '

Red – Of These Chains

* * *

.

.

Did anyone notice in the G1 episodes that Astrotrain refers to himself in third person?


	18. Chapter 18

Ceilings are odd things. They're all different shapes and colors. Especially the ones in auditoriums; those usually had very decorative and ornate plaster moldings. Her ceiling however, was plain off white with only a few indentions from previous tenants. Shay questioned how they'd gotten dents up there in the first place.

'At least there aren't any cracks or water stains,' the woman mused in contemplative thought. That would not be ideal.

She needed more sleep. It was once again three in the morning and Shay was staring at the ceiling as she lay on her couch. For some yet to be determined reason it was more comfortable than the bed. Not that it made falling into unconsciousness any easier. Another night of pondering random things or wherever her rest deprived mind wandered. A sharp pain made itself known in her stomach with an added dose of queasiness. She took a deep breath and struggled not to puke. She hardly had enough food in her as it was. A grimace flew across her features because there was no one there to see. Rolling over, the small human tried to get more comfortable.

But now light from the city outside fell on her face. Distantly a siren rang out over the sound of engines and even the plaster walls couldn't block it all out. Dang it, she had curtains up to keep that light out. They were there for a reason!

Hair sticking out in odd directions, the female lifted her head to glare at the window and offending cloth that only covered half of it. She'd forgotten to close it all the way. Too weary to get up, Shay just buried her face in the pillow. Could she please please please just fall asleep already? Was that too much to ask lately? The woman had been dealing with the insomnia moderately well until the sickness had gotten worse. It was now day three (or four since it was past midnight now) of barely eating, exhaustion, low fever, aching eyes, retching whatever she managed to get down, and random fits of extreme pain.

She had been alright one day (coping with the aching chest) and then -bam!- sick as a dog. At least she had been able to call in sick. After trying to clock into work on the first day she felt horrendous, her boss had taken one look at her and sent the young women home to rest. Not much had changed since then. Just thinking about trying to eat brought back the nausea and sleep just would not come. Holed up in her apartment, Shay could stay out of the cold weather and curl up in a blanket. But nothing was really helping.

Slowly, carefully, the woman eased her body up and staggered to the kitchen on the left. Melatonin pills weren't helping anymore so Shay had switched to tea that was supposed to make her tired. She'd yet to see any change in her sleep pattern.

But Shay had run out of other options. Not bothering to turn on the light, she used the tiny rays of city light to see by as she fixed a cup. The human woman stared moodily into the liquid but couldn't work up the will to drink. She slumped against the counter.

4 am. How many times had she done this before?

Dull blue eyes slowly started to ache and she rubbed them on reflex before she realized that probably wouldn't help. Her mind was fuzzy with exhaustion and she couldn't find it in herself to care anymore. Another bout of pain, this one curling in her chest. A sigh slid out as the eye ache turned to stinging.

"Damn..." 'Better get this before it gets worse.' She thought to herself.

Scowling, she brushed light brown hair out of her face and stood to open the high up cabinet that held medicine bottles. Her fingers wrapped around the metal handle and the other just barely brushed against the plastic container that held aspirin pills when a stronger waved knocked her down. Elbows almost smashed against the counter as she collapsed in a dizzy heap on the floor.

A scream built up as she clenched her teeth in effort to ignore the pain. Panting, arms quaked as the woman struggled to stand. She could do this, she could do this. She'd gotten through this before. Trembling fingers grasped the edge of the stove as she pulled herself up inch by inch. Pain flared throughout her body, causing a quite keen to echo out of her lips and into the small home.

Don't make a sound Don't make a sound Don't make a sou-, a repeated mantra in her head as she struggled not to cry out. Couldn't have anyone hearing that, could we?

Rasping breath was the only noise to be heard in the silent kitchen as her hold slipped and she fell back against the wood flooring. Shay squeezed her eyes shut against the tears and stinging. Shaking, her face twisted in silent agony while clenched hands scrambled against the board beneath her. She tried to think clearly and calm herself but it was so difficult. The pain was cold and numb, stinging like hundreds of needles were being driven through her core. Opening her eyes a slit showed black spots coating her vision in an encompassing wave, distorting the room as she struggled to stand. Suddenly, the sound of her harsh breathing was very far away.

'It's going to be a bad one,' a distant thought.

No peaceful unconsciousness swept her away from the pain, not even for a brief while. No, she wasn't that lucky. Instead Shay drifted in a sort of limbo, caught between awake with pain but not awake enough to move. The woman hovered for an indeterminable amount of time until the icy fire beneath her skin retreated to her chest and the shivers stopped.

This time, when there were no black and blurry spots when the female peeked open her eyes. No aches behind her eyelids. Wincing, she picked herself up to lean back shakily against the lower cabinets. Tears rolled down and over the pink marks from where her cheek had been pressed against the floor. The salt water scorched the surface of her face and dropped off her chin to disappear into the too large tee-shirt and sweat pants she was using as a nightgown. After a moment or two, her lungs quite working so hard and the woman precariously got up. Only to fall into the nearest chair by the table.

Laying her head on the table, she sent out a silent plea.

_Make it stop._

.

.

.

A hand touched her shoulder tentatively and Shay jerked out of her dreamless fog of sleep in startlement, almost falling from her chair. The woman blinked heavily a few times and tugged at her shirt. Blearily she looked to see Andrew a few feet away waving hesitantly. Cold and dull winter morning light came through the window which now had the curtain pulled back all the way.

"What..." she croaked, gave a cough and then tried again, "What are you doing over there?"

Grinning cheekily, he replied but stayed back, "Keeping out of range in case you tried to kill me."

Shaking her head, the woman mock snarled before stretching sore muscles. Falling asleep on a table was not in any way comfortable. Andrew just chuckled and finally came over, apparently deeming it now safe. Shay took in the friendly chesnut eyes, light ebony brown hair that was starting to get too long, and shadow of stubble along his jaw. Smooth features with a strong nose and slightly off center smile made up his profile while tousled clothing gave the impression that lent itself to a laid back surfer. As far as Shay knew, Andrew had only tried surfing once and failed miserably. Her old friend sat down next to her while taking off his light coat to hang on the chair. A gleam by his right ear showed a stud earring that was a symbol for one of his favorite football teams.

Of the group, the only boy was second tallest after Leann. Cassidy was third leaving Shay herself as the shorty. Speaking of, where was the red head? She opened her mouth to ask where his wife was but got cut off.

"Shay!" Snapped a frustrated voice, making the woman lurch in surprise.

Cassidy plopped down in the oak chair on the other side of her, now making the table full. Well, that answers that question, Shay thought. She mentally buckled down. Apparently her friend was in one of _those_ moods.

Narrowed eyes studied her, "How many hours of sleep did you get?" Cass's lips were held in a grim and straight line, fingers tapping the table in tension. This felt like a trick question.

A pause, "What time is it?"

"Just past eight in the morning," came the biting reply. Andrew stayed quiet and flicked his eyes between the two.

"Hmm, more or less four hours then. More than the night before." Shay immediately snapped her mouth shut after she realized the last part had been out loud. Cassidy's husband winced with a 'you're doomed' look on his face. The red head herself had a dark expression sliding across her features. It was too early for this interrogation. She'd just woken up.

"Four hours. Four hours?! Dammit Shay! When are you going to the doctors? Enough is enough already. You look like you're more than half dead!" the female's tone turned shrill with annoyance and Shay sighed, rubbing her forehead.

"It's just a virus or something. The most they'll do is tell me to wait it out or give me some antibiotic that may or may not work." Shay was quite sure they couldn't do anything but didn't want to risk going in to see what they might find.

"It's been five days!"

"Four."

"SHAY!" The taller woman shouted in exasperation and stood, placing hands on the table as she leaned over to glare down at the other female. Her husband had successfully extracted himself from the situation by sneaking into the kitchen to fix breakfast. Out of sight, out of mind and all that. Although that wouldn't really work here because the kitchen wasn't blocked off from the main room. Still, Andrew was a pretty smart man and he knew better than to get involved. The only time those two got into an argument was when Cassidy's impulsive temper clashed with Shay's stubbornness, or in this case, denial.

Scratching mouse brown hair out of her eyes, Shay looked tiredly at her friend, "What tipped you off that I didn't get a lot of sleep?"

Fist clenched and hands on her hips, the fiery haired woman snorted, "Besides the fact that you were asleep on the table? A full cup of tea sitting out. You never waste or leave dishes."

A blink. She'd completely forgotten about the drink. Cassidy blew out an exasperated breath before forcing herself to sit down again. The taller female gazed at Shay as the clink of plates from Andrew fixing food could be heard. Oil hissed as the skillet heated up. Muffled noises from the tenants below revealed that everyone was getting ready for the new day.

"I just had to give you guys that spare key, didn't I?" Shay muttered to herself as she stood to make a fresh cup and some coffee for her guests. Bare feet tiptoed across the cold floor.

Andrew threw a grin over his shoulder, "Yep. Your own fault you know."

The exhausted woman hopped up onto the counter to keep her toes warm and pulled out a dry tea bag from the cabinet. A look back showed Cassidy who was impatiently tapping her fingers on the table while giving dark glances. Her almost green eyes flickered between her husband and childhood friend. Finally Shay held up her hands in surrender.

"Alright. If I'm still this sick four days from now..."

"Two."

"Two, days from now, then I'll set an appointment with a doctor. Are we good?" The brown haired shorty poured scalding water in her mug and got down to get two cups for her friends. The only reason she had a coffee maker in the first place was for them and how often they came over. Cassidy just let out a huff and nodded.

Then smiled a moment later as she accepted the caffeinated drink, "Oh and by the way, Shay?"

"Hmm?" she paused and turned around.

Cassidy's face took on an amused shade, "You really _really_ look like you got hit with a bus. Watch out for traffic better, huh?"

* * *

Sideswipe hated Mondays. He absolutely believed in the human's saying that there was nothing good about that day of the week. Sulking, the carnelian mech retreated to his quarters, all the while running previous events through his processor. It had started with arriving late to his shift that morning.

The frontliner had gotten barked at by an irritated Prowl, even when he tried to explain that the showers in the wash racks had been shorting out while he was in there. His suggestion that they needed to be fixed had been received with an irritated look from the tactical officer who apparently didn't believe his excuse. For the tardiness, Sideswipe earned himself an extra two hours on monitor duty. Which, all in all, wasn't that bad compared to the normal punishments he got for prankery and other every day shenanigans.

No, it had still been quite alright. Until he was on patrol with Trailbreaker and Iron-aft. The previous was alright but the latter made his life pit when he felt like it. But he'd been told to _stay put_ at a particular location while Breaker took up his position several blocks over and the hulking warrior himself did some rounds. The flashy lambo didn't do _staying put_ very well. But he had for once! Except it earned him an inch of melty slush on his exterior and mud sprays from passing drivers. By then irritation had set in.

Day still going down hill, their patrol had ended with bored stunticons who were looking for a fight. The look of disgust thrown his way by Dead End due to the frontliner's muddy state made him clench his denta and _thoroughly _enjoy beating the slag out of the dull red sports car. He wasn't as vain as Sunstreaker (few were), but who likes disgusted looks from the enemy? No one, that who. And then Dragstrip managed to hit his jet pack with a stray shot. Meaning it was a useless sparking mass of wires and metal sheathing. Meaning Sideswipe couldn't practice his favorite sport, Jet Judo, when the coneheads showed up.

It didn't matter that Sunstreaker wasn't there to help. He could do it by himself. If he could get up there that is. Which he couldn't, because his fraggin' jet pack was broken!

'Miserable glitch-rats,' Sideswipe thought viciously as cerulean optics glared.

Returning to base hadn't helped in the slightest. Ratchet only patched up the major wounds before kicking him out with a promise to fix the jet pack later and a threat to 'stay out!' until told otherwise. The Doc currently had to repair an Aerialbot because _someone_ had pushed _someone else_ over a cliff and the pushed person hadn't had enough time to make a good landing. It involved a scraped up mountain side, many panicked woodland creatures, and bits of trees in between someone's plating.

So Sideswipe's jet pack was downgraded on the priority list. He could handle that. He could. As soon as he went to the wash racks because mud/snow/slush trickling around wires and circuits was uncomfortable. Not to mention the squelching noise was starting to get annoying.

The showers still kept randomly stopping. Resisting the urge to whine in frustration, the ruby bot just finished cleaning out the gunk. It may have taken three times as long as it should have but now there would be not more odd looks from those slagging cons because he was a mess...

"Sideswipe, you were supposed to report to the security office fifteen minute ago!" He looked down at a scowling Gears.

'Oh, that's right...' Sideswipe thought before shuttering and resetting his optics. Instead of replying, the taller mech just nodded and followed the grumbly minibot to his post. The uncommon silence wasn't ignored though. Studying him with the usual frown, the red and blue mini questioned it.

"What's up with you? Not that I like your usual cheer, mind you. It's annoying. I'm not going to complain about the quiet either..."

A hysterical laugh threatened to bubble up at the complete irony of Gears' statement, but Sideswipe managed to tamp it down and shake his black helm, "Nothing you'd care about. Don't we have monitor duty?"

To which he spent an extra long shift sitting in front of many screens and doing absolutely nothing. It was agony. How did everyone else deal with this monotone? The only company was the occasional gripe from Gears and the ever present Security Chief Red Alert. Still, he got through it without losing his cool and was now headed back to his room. Hopefully were he could recharge and put this day behind him.

What had he done to annoy karma? Sideswipe couldn't think of anything particular that would piss off the human deity. Maybe karma made a deal with Primus to screw with his day? Maybe it was because he'd magnetized Cliffjumper to the rec room ceiling the other day. More likely the incident two weeks ago involving Blaster. He'd managed to spray invisible sticky paint on the DJ before dumping a box of foam peanuts on the orange mech. Every tiny movement had produced a rubbery squeaking sound and Blaster had looked like a giant marshmallow monster. It had been hilarious. Yeah...it was probably the latter prank.

But hey! He'd dealt with enough scrap today already thank you! Surely he could just relax and recharge now right?

Venting a sigh, the tired and frazzled frontliner punched in the code to unlock his quarters. The door didn't open. For a few seconds he just stared with uncomprehending disbelief. Then he tried again. Slower now, he was more careful about which keys onyx digits fell on and was absolutely sure the code he put in was his.

No movement. No doors sliding to the side. No recharge for a thoroughly fed up frontliner.

Again. AgainAgainAgainAgain. Sideswipe felt his frustration hitting the roof and turning to anger as his fist smacked the key pad. Revving his engine in displeasure, he stomped before whirling to punch the insultingly orange walls that surrounded him.

Sunstreaker stalked around the corner, no doubt picking up on the rise in Sideswipe's somewhat rare temper. Crossing hes arms, his brother waited. With harsh, slow and deliberate jabs, Sideswipe once more put in the code and waited to see what his twin would do about the problem. The gold bot looked at the code, looked at Sideswipe and forced his face into a more neutral expression.

"You do realize that's the old code. We changed passwords last week, remember?"

A keen rose up as Sideswipe harshly vented in an attempt to cool his angrily heating circuits. He needed to calm down. After all, their medic would have a problem if the frontliner put his horned helm through the wall.

Sideswipe hated Mondays.

* * *

_Faster faster faster_

_There was a road and she was zipping along it. Not running, it didn't feel like running. Not a bike ride...maybe she was driving?_

_She didn't know or care at the moment. It wasn't important. Trees blocked the left side while the right opened up to large fields and waves of grass. But that was irrelevant. Hardly noted._

_Faster faster. Rising anger sidled in her veins, spreading until she felt like a helium balloon about to burst. Violent thoughts and the urge to tear curled like wisps around her mind and sang a tempting song. She was moving moving moving. Going faster because she couldn't hold still. There was too much anger._

_The cool pavement flew by under her as clenched hands turned the wheel and tires gripped their traction to the asphalt. (Oh hey, she was driving) Rounding a curve, the vehicle straightened before her foot slammed the gas pedal down farther. Teeth ground against each other in mounting fury. An engine roar. Faster. She was so angry. She needed to rip something apart._

_?_

_A pause, as the slightest feeling of wrongness was pondered. Something...something was missing. What was it? Where?_

_Surroundings disappeared in a kaleidoscope of colors and brief images as she was searching (searching) for something. It was missing. Find it find it find it. Reach reach reach. Frantically she dashed here and there looking. Panic overtook the anger. Reach reach reach. Reach farther. She couldn't find it._

_Denial/pain/grief_

_No! She had to find it! It was so important. Where? Where is it!?_

_A wail echoed in the place that wasn't when she realized what she was looking for wasn't there. No no no no gone gone gone gone. Whatever, whoever, she was looking for wasn't there. Her breath came out in ragged short gasps as another scream burst loose to drown out any other sound. No! No! It couldn't be, it couldn't! They weren't...they..._

_Dead?_

_The glimmery sharp thought cut like a shard of glass, slicing past skin and muscles to get to cartilage and bone beneath. Perhaps...perhaps they were dead?... A cold chill started in her fingertips and slithered up her arms, leaving goose bumps. But it wasn't enough to envelope the complete loss that made her heart skip a beat. Breath froze for a moment before returning._

_Dead..._

_NO_

_Gone.._

_NONONO!_

_Cold metal pressed into her chest, right in the center and left of her heart. Circular in design, she didn't need to see the weapon to know it was the barrel of a gun. The firearm gave the whole situation a new and more dangerous angle. Like standing on the edge of a chasm and just a waiting to fall. A click sounded, the trigger pulled, flash flash light, pain._

_The shot rippled through her, leaving a hole in both sides. She dropped to her knees with a roar. Clutching her chest in agony, thoughts turned desperate and murderous._

_Find them._

_Heavy hands tore against the surroundings. Claustrophobia in the black. She would destroy it all._

_Protect them._

_Tear apart the threat. Find them find them find them find them... A peal of thunder and seething madness bellowed out. Rage burned away the darkness and painted it in shades of harsh red._

_Rip Shred Destroy the threat_

_Find them find the find them find them find them find them find the-_

Pain flared in her skull and ribs as she crashed into the floor on her back. Shay jolted awake with a start. For a moment the woman forced herself to breath and calm her racing heart. Gingerly she picked herself up off the carpet and stared blankly around her bedroom. A trembling hand smoothed back sweat damped hair as she took in the bed she'd rolled off of.

Blankets and pillows had been flung across the room and now lay in a crumpled heap near the walls. The nightstand had been overturned, lamp on the floor and cracked. Glass from the shattered bulb winked within the woven rug. Shay turned to silently pad past the rose nightlight by the door and entered the bathroom.

Stumbling blind fingers found the switch and lit up the figure in the mirror. Haunted and far too pale eyes stared from the reflection. Even though it was chilling outside and not exactly toasty in here, perspiration still trickled over the young woman's skin and dampened her winter pajamas. Eyes closed momentarily before opening again. Shay turned the squeaky left knob on the faucet and splashed the drops on her face before drying off. Exhaling, she gripped the cheap fake tile counter and leaned forward to gaze into the looking glass.

Her irises were never that bleached. Never. Except... A memory flickered through her mind as she thunked her head on the counter. Of course.

Shay never had almost gray eyes. Just like she never went into an unchecked and blind rage. Except for one time. The female had completely forgotten her eyes changing once before.

She couldn't actually find it in herself to care at the moment. Shay lifted her head to peer once more at the bored looking human in the mirror and fading paleness before she shut off the light and retreating to her bedroom. Getting dressed in the dark, the woman felt indifference settle over her like a mantle. This would worry her later, undoubtedly. It had become a repeated cycle. Apathetic stretches for long periods of time and then occasional burst were she couldn't contain herself. When she could work up the will to care, the woman worried that she was loosing empathy. But what could one do about that if they didn't feel anything in the first place?

Besides, these fits of extreme emotion were causing problems. Shay was lucky she was normally good at control, or her bosses would be questioning why they hired her. So far, no one had noticed when the adverse mood swings struck. But that didn't mean it was easy to hide the twisting emotions that rose up without warning. They usually didn't even match what was going on around her. And she kept getting angry at odd times when there really wasn't anything to set her off. Like that nightmare she'd just had. Stupid nightmare. Didn't she get so little sleep as it was?

Speaking of work. Tiredly the woman swept up light brown hair into a simple braid and glanced at the clock. So she'd be a couple hours early to her seven am shift. Wouldn't be the first time within the last two months.

A grimace rose as she recalled the previous time. Those few days when she'd been sick were not among her favorite memories. The pain fits and all else had stopped one day before she'd been about to schedule a meeting with a doctor. Cassie had been quite adamant that she still go but had not ground since Shay appeared to be getting better.

Key word: appeared.

Sure, she wasn't ill any longer and the never ending chill in her chest was mostly ignored now. But insomnia continually plagued her. The short and now thin woman only ate because she had too and not because it actually seemed appetizing or she was hungry. Shay rarely was nowadays. Recently she'd noted more and more instances of dizziness and forgetting what she was doing right when she was doing it. Lack of sleep was the excuse she was going with.

Feet now enclosed in thick socks and snow covered boots clomped into the kitchen as she ate a slice of buttered bread and packed a small lunch. A glimpse passed over a garden themed calender that spelled out November in big letters but her mind didn't acknowledge the information.

Dressed warmly and purse in hand, Shay stepped out of her apartment and locked the door behind her. Several flights of stairs later, the woman walked out into the murky winter city. Fresh flakes of frozen water floated down from above but she hardly noticed. They would be half melted and muddy in an hour or two anyway. Keeping to the shoveled sidewalk, she set off in the dark

* * *

.

.

Almost there guys. Shay is finally deciding to move her stubborn aft. Prepare for Decepticons ahead!


	19. Chapter 19

"You Are A Fool!" Screeched the air commander as sky blue servos smacked against the screen in frustration, "I need those materials! You think I can finish this just from using human technology?! They're obsolete!"

Around him the Decepticon warriors watched with slanted optics and sidelong looks, used to Starscream's usual fits. But Shockwave wasn't a pushover so it was fifty-fifty on who would win this argument. Swindle sidled up to Hook to make a bet. The others didn't even bother to pretend they weren't observing and waiting to see the outcome, energon cubes in hand like movie snacks. Only a few drones scattered around continued with their work in the large room. On the monitor, the violet cyclops replied as stoically as ever.

"That is true Starscream. However, I've already sent you what materials I can spare. If I give you everything then I cannot work on my projects or finish repairing Cybertron. That is my assignment."

A lone optic shifted on screen as the head scientist turned to a drone that was trying to get his attention. He ignored the seeker for a moment before returning to the conversation. Starscream was seething from the blunt power play Shockwave was displaying by ignoring him and clenched his servos into fists. Ruby optics glowed with pent up hate.

"Shockwave..." he started slowly while trying to rein in the urge to shout. He knew the troops were watching and hoping for a show. The jet continued in his high-pitched tone as if talking to someone who was slow, " Lord Megatron gave _me_ responsibility over this project and he ordered that _anything_ that would speed it up was to be used. Therefore, I'm ordering you to ship me some more parts!"

"Is there a problem here Starscream?" A gravely voice rumbled. Speak of the devil.

White and red striped wings jerked up in surprise, "Yes Lord Megatron! Shockwave is selfishly refusing to give me the things I need to complete your plan!"

The leader of the Decepticons looked down at the slightly smaller con with an unimpressed expression, "Your plan Starscream. You are the one who claims this will work. I've yet to see results."

A sneer crossed his faceplates and gave Megatron a cruel but smug look as he crossed dark gray arms. The lead seeker hunched just slightly at the jeers from his fellow cons as they snickered in the background. Turning to the screens, the warlord spoke to Shockwave.

"Send more supplies, as much as can be spared from rebuilding Cybertron. It can wait until after the Autobots are crushed."

The purple goliath sighed and nodded, "Yes Lord Megatron. I assume another space bridge has been built in the wake of the last one's destruction?"

Megatron nodded and the monitors returned to their normal schematics. Everyone else suddenly scurrying to do something as he gazed around the room. Within a moment it was nearly empty as the lower ranking troops all went off to do whatever work seemed important. The gun-former turned back to his air commander.

"Do you have results?" He questioned.

Starscream puffed up his armor slightly, "Yes my lord. It appears to work on a small scale and for a short amount of time. However,..." he trailed off as if trying to find the right words to explain.

Not falling for it, Megatron became impatient, "Explain. Now."

"I need more energy to power the machine. Otherwise we'll only have a small sample to work with that won't last long enough to unleash upon the Autobots. Theoretically, I can set up a generator as a long term power source but it will take a while longer, and more materials, to do so." The seeker's voice lost some of the normal scoffing quality as he tried to explain the science in simple terms.

Megatron thought it over before replying, "_How long?_"

"Roughly six to seven months."

Not very long in Cybertronian terms but lengthier than what he wanted. The large monochrome decepticon growled, " Seven months?! You said only a couple."

"That was just to see if it could be done! Actually utilizing it in large quantities requires a much larger time span and a generating power source. There's complex coding and many fine calibrations that need finished!," Starscream's lip curled up over sharp denta as he gave his leader a pointed look, "I would have perfected it first and then shown you but _someone_ had to snoop." He made a mental note to get back at Reflector for this. Those stupid camera-cons just had to go sneaking around in his lab.

"You would have finished it and used it against me Starscream." Retorted Megatron.

Starscream looked aghast, "Why my lord! I would never..."

"Can it Starscream! I'm in no mood for you lies. Now, I will allow you that much time to complete the project and have it ready. _If_ it is not completed or _if_ it fails, then it will be your helm that decorates these walls. Understand?" A clawed servo came up as if to demonstrate just what he was going to do, "I want to see something that actually works soon Starscream!"

The tri-colored flier quickly jerked into a salute, "Of course Lord Megatron!"

As soon as his leader left, Starscream dropped his servos and snarled, "Do this Starscream. Do that. Get it done quick," he tried to mimic Megatron's deeper voice with horrid results. Anyone would have described it as static and gargling marbles but the room had emptied save for a few drones and they hardly counted, "Science can't be done in a day! Can't that fool see that?! Idiotic... Why does anyone listen to him..." The muttering continued as the trine leader stalked back to his lab. He had work to get done.

* * *

Shay was planning. Which wasn't that uncommon as she tended to try and plan out anything of importance. However, this one wasn't quite as simple as she wanted it to be. She knew exactly what she needed to do, but was hesitating to do it. Not to mention actually getting there.

The woman hummed quietly to herself as she tightened the hair band that held a braid in place and finished putting away the exercise equipment at the end of her shift. The gym closed late and she'd been there for several hours longer than her regular ten hour shift. Getting snowed in sucked. But thankfully it was cleared up now that a plow had come by and everyone who'd had to wait was finally leaving. Shay had spent the extra time thinking and turning ideas over in her head. What it yielded was neither good nor bad and she wasn't sure if she was going to go through with it. Certainly her Dad would have a problem. Cass and Andrew would definitely be more concerned than they already were.

This apathy had to stop. Not caring over small and useless things, or even her own health was okay, sort of. Not caring over actual people was most definitely _not_ alright. Especially when it was starting to put up walls between her friends and herself. Shay was finally starting to realize that things were far worse than she'd first thought and it was time to put an end to it.

So the apathy was out of control and Shay had grown tired of the pain. What she had to do was obvious. The hard part was letting go of her pride and admitting she made a mistake.

But Shay was. Walking through slush and white powder on the way home, she plotted and rolled consequences over in her mind. What she needed was a vehicle. Her new job did pay much better than her old one, and with several months put in she could almost afford one now. If she took a small loan that would be paid off in a couple months than she'd be set. It helped that the woman had put in a lot of overtime lately.

If she had a vehicle and the snows cleared up...

Then when spring came, there was nothing to stop her from going back west. Even though she was quite sure she'd have to face the repercussions for the choice she made. A sigh worked itself out to turn to condensation in the frosted air. Oh yes, there would definitely be hell to pay for her mistake.

Just another body moving along in the darkening and cold lit city, she stomped past building and snow stacks as her plan grew.

Far away, on the other side of the continent, someone else was contemplating the state of things.

Sunstreaker looked up from his sketch to see his twin staring at him, again. A glare yielded no response. Sideswipe wasn't even paying attention, as lost in thought as he was. Glazed optics bore into the space Sunny was currently occupying.

Giving into the urge to nail his brother, the frontliner picked up a broken game controller and threw it at Sideswipe. It smacked into his face with a 'thunk.' Startled, he jerked up and nearly fell off the bunk. Bewildered and hurt optics looked over at Sunny lounging on the couch.

A derisive snort, "Turbo-puppy optics don't work on me bro."

"Aw, come on Sunny..."

"No. Quite staring at me."

Sideswipe vented and lay back against his berth. These last few months had been okay, but just a little bit off. Every once in a while one or the other twin would feel these shadow sensations. Almost like their twin bond but not quite. Sideswipe liked to call them 'ghost butterflies' because it was just barely there, so little they hardly felt it. Sunstreaker stated that it was a stupid name. Either way, the feeling wasn't coming from him or Sunny and when they went to Ratchet about it the doc couldn't find anything wrong. That ended with the medic complaining about people wasting his time and to not come back unless they were actually hurt. But they didn't think they were imagining it.

Sideswipe knew Sunstreaker was afraid that something was wrong with their sparks because it had started since they'd come back from being "dead" or in the spark container of so long. But Ratchet said everything was fine so they were just going to ignore it. Sideswipe had his own theory but his twin refused to listen.

"It's not the human. We're not dealing with her!" He'd shouted when Sideswipe tried to bring it up. Yeah, that hadn't gone well.

But it made sense! Sunny just refused to see that. Pig-headed brothers...

That was actually a really interesting insult. Pig-headed. Why would someone have a pig head? Humans had awesome insults, so creative. Wait! Focusing!

Shaking off random thoughts, the red Autobot got up and meandered out of his room in search of a quiet spot to do some digging. If Sunstreaker wasn't going to help him then he would just have to do it himself. Finding no one in the recreation room, he quickly sat down and pulled out a data pad. Getting onto the internet, it didn't take long to find the information he was after. Just a little bit of narrowing down the search and a tiny tiny bit of hacking. It wasn't a bad thing to do if one did it for a good cause, right? Oddly enough, the large carnelian bot didn't think the command staff would agree with him there.

All that mattered though, was the fact that he got what he was after. Or he thought it was the right number. Only one way to find out.

Using his comm link, Sideswipe heard that irritating beep that meant the call was going through. By the second ring someone picked up. A rough female voice answered.

"Hello?"

"Um...hi. Is Shay Carpenter there?" Please please please say he'd gotten the right number.

There was a pause, "No. May I ask who you are and why you want her."

He'd wilted when she said no but perked up again quickly. This human knew Shay. Maybe she could help him, "I kinda need to talk to her about something important. Oh, and this is Sideswipe." Another pause, longer this time. Had the call dropped? Maybe this female couldn't help him after all. The nervous bot fretted as he waited.

"Autobot Sideswipe?" No emotion. He couldn't detect any trace of either disbelief or curiosity in her tone.

Hesitantly he answered, "Uh-huh. I really do need to speak with Shay so if it's not too much trouble could you tell me her number? Or..."

The frontliner never got to finish as he was interrupted, "This is Shay." A weary sigh came over the speakers as he froze, suddenly realizing he was talking to the person he was trying to get ahold of. Over in North Carolina, Shay pinched the bridge of her nose and took a seat on the couch. She got the feeling that this would be a conversation best held when sitting.

"You lied!" Exclaimed Sideswipe.

She shrugged although there was no one to see it, "I didn't know who you were. It wasn't personal."

"Oh." A single syllable as everything Sideswipe wanted to say got stuck in his vocalizer. He'd thought over and over about what he'd say once he'd met her but right now none of it actually seemed to want to come out. An uncomfortable pause settled over the phone as both parties weren't sure how to respond to each other. Finally the bot's mind latched onto something. "Can I ask a question?"

"Is it why I left?" It seemed like a hand clenched around her lungs at the moment but Shay thought it was better to just get to the point instead of dancing around it. She'd been doing enough of that in the last few months.

Sideswipe replied instantly, "No, I mean yes! But that's not what I was going to ask first. I mean..." Giving a grumble he vented again to get back on track, "Can you still reach out to Sunny and I?"

The woman on the other end of the phone frowned in confusion before kicking off her slippers and pulling her feet from the cold floor, "You mean you remember being in that jar?"

"Um yeah." the bot stated instantly, "Well some of it. We remember you being around."

She rubbed her forehead in thought, "Your medic said you wouldn't remember being in there. Anyways, no I can't. I haven't been able to since I left."

"Is that why you left? 'Cause you thought we wouldn't remember you?" Sideswipe's optics twitched to the door as some bots came in, just finished with patrol. Bluestreak looked like he was coming over to chat but turned away when Sides tapped his audios to show he was on the comm link. The frontliner continued, "Were you just scared of us or the others? 'Cause we're not really that bad. I promise."

The human flinched from his tone. It was so _bland_. Like he was afraid of upsetting her. Why wasn't he mad? He was supposed to be angry at her! She thought he'd be furious and here he was just calling to talk. Taking a deep breath Shay slowly replied, "It wasn't that at all. I just...it's sorta complicated. But answer me this; was being able to pick up on your emotions before normal?"

Dead silence. In the rec room a couple heads turned when they noticed the wince on Sideswipe's face. They looked curiously at each other but didn't go over to bother him. Shay punched the pillow at the end of the couch before answering in a dry almost whisper, cell phone cupped to her cheek.

"That's what I thought."

"Tha-... you were afraid of..." The lambo twin didn't get it, a scowl of frustration crossing his faceplates, "It wasn't about us?!"

"Not really. I... why would you want a human around you anyways!" She exploded, "You were back in your home and safe. I was supposed to go back to my home! That's the way it was _supposed_ to go. Not this... weird funny emotions thing and psychotic rages and pain..." The woman jumped off the sofa and started pacing, all the weeks after weeks of pent up hurt and guilt for her mistake, "Do you even know what any of this is?!"

Everyone in the rec room watched confused when Sideswipe almost jerked out of his chair. A flow of emotions, none of them good, swished across his silver face. Tracks leaned over his cube to mutter to Inferno that he was probably getting grilled by one of the officers for something or other. Inferno shrugged and downed the rest of the liquid so he could go check on Red.

Carefully Sideswipe replied, rubbing the back of his black helm, "Not really. It's kinda out there for us too."

"So you don't know."

"Yeah, I mean, no. We don't know."

"Okay."

Her voice nearly cracked but held. Just barely. There goes her plan to figure this out and fix it. They didn't know. Which most likely meant no one had the answers. Which meant she was basically screwed. Shay stared hauntingly into space in the empty apartment before robotically moving to sit down again.

Silence reigned as both tried to configure their thoughts into something coherent. Sideswipe replied first, "What did you mean, about rages and pain...?"

"I keep getting angry at random times. Actually, the first time was when some people tried to steal you away. I almost killed them," she choked off remembering how horrible that night had been before Margaret and Peter had taken her in.

Sideswipe gave a half smile to no one as she couldn't see him, "Oh that. The others found a video of it. Have to say that was pretty outta there. It looked like you'd gone mad." It turned into a wince, "Not that almost killing some people is a good thing...but uh, I'm glad you didn't let them take us." The Autobot hunched over when Shay didn't reply and he thought he'd said the wrong thing. People did believe the twins were blood thirsty sometimes. What she shouted next took him by surprise.

"They Got A Video!"

Light blue optics widened to an almost comical point as he wondered why that was bad, "Yeah..."

"Damn. They never told me that. Where the hell did they get a video..." She trailed off in thought, face screwed up exasperation.

A light bulb above his head, "Oh, so you didn't want anyone to know about that."

"No. I told Prowl. But I didn't want anyone to see me going crazy. It's not like wanting to violently tear people apart is a normal or good thing." Bitterness at the end, " Why did you call? Are you being affected too?"

His pitch servo made a 'so so' gesture until he remembered she wasn't there and the others were giving him amused looks. Sideswipe stuck out his glossa at them and returned to the conversation "Sorta not really. Not as much as you seem to be. Every once in a while one of us just gets this off feeling like someone's poking our sparks or something but it doesn't hurt." He heard a relieved sigh.

"That's good. If it's just that..."

Suspicion jumped in, "How exactly has this been affecting you besides the anger stuff?"

When she didn't immediately answer he whined, "Awwhh come one! I told my side, you gotta tell yours!" He threw his servos up in the air. Chortles floated around the room as bots watched the silent conversation play out, trying to guess what the subject was. None of them were even remotely close.

"How about a proposal?" The human female finally asked, catching his attention. Proposals and deals were right up his alley. An impish smile appeared and more than a few minibots made sure they were close to someone taller. That kind of grin usually meant trouble.

Sideswipe questioned, "What kind of proposal?"

Noting the definite purr in his voice, a corner of her mouth twitched up. The first time in a while that it wasn't just for her friends or co-workers but with genuine amusement, "I was actually planning to come see you guys anyway. I have to finish paying off a loan in the next two months but when the snow clears I was going to head west. Uh...if you are okay with that?"

An unseen nod, "Yep. Talking to you in person would kinda be better than comm link."

"Comm link?"

"It's like a phone, only for Autobots to contact each other."

"Ah," Shay didn't really understand but pretended to anyways, "But I'll be over in your state by late February or early March. If you still want to see me then, just call and I'll try to find a spot for us to meet... Are you ah...You really aren't mad at me for leaving?" Her low voice turned high pitched with skepticism.

Sideswipe fidgeted, "Well, kinda sorta. But if you come see us than you can explain it better. I told Sunny you must have had a good reason. So you can prove it."

"Okay then. I guess I'll see you in a couple months..."

"Why that long? You could take a plane and be here in a few days." The red and black lamborghini was only patient when it involved pranks. Waiting for this human was going to take _forever_.

"Because Christmas is in two weeks and I have plans with my dad and friends. Also," she sounded a bit funny now, embarrassment plain to hear, "I don't like planes."

He guessed, "Scared of heights?"

Shay rapidly shook her head as she got up to fix dinner, "Oh no. I love heights. I just don't trust those big metal machines to be safe...Uh no offense to you or anything."

The frontliner guffawed. Maybe he would like this human after all, "None taken. See you in the spring then." Images of seekers and Shay's apparent trust issues with planes made him giggle again.

"Wait, your brother agrees with this right?"

"Oh yeah. We'll be waiting." He lied smoothly.

"Okay, see you then." She hung up and the call ended. In her apartment, Shay leaned against a door frame and blew out a breath. That had seemed way too easy. Now what was the catch?

Across the country, Sideswipe got up to start plotting. Of course his brother was going to kill him for this. Now the question was, would he get over his anger by the time they went to meet Shay? Maybe not, Sunstreaker could really hold a grudge. It would be better to wait and tell him later. Yeah, he'd live longer if he waited.

In a different part of the base Eject looked over at his counterpart, "Should we tell someone about this?"

The black and white cassette mulled it over, "Technically it's a personal call and he didn't break any rules..."

Blaster leaned over them, "Why doncha give me a recordin' a that and not mention it ta anybody, kay?" The large red and gray cassette player took the disc and subspaced it, "Catcha later." With a wink and a grin he left his quarters to meet up with Jazz, waltzing down the halls as he danced to some music only he could hear.

"Heya Jazz-meister. You told me to keep my audios peeled and my bots found something interesting." He clapped a gray servo on the shorter bot's shoulder pad. In return, the saboteur gave a sly grin, optic band tilting.

"Did ya now? I appreciate that man." Taking the disc, the porsche put it in a slot on his arm and listened to the recorded conversation. Walking slower now, he puzzled over this new information before smiling grimly.

'You just keep making things complicated, don'tcha girl.' the spy thought to himself.

* * *

.

.

.

.

Alright everybody, Shay meets the Twins in person next chapter.


	20. Chapter 20

Tying back the light brown strands into a simple ponytail for the fourth time that hour, Shay blew out a breath as she sat before the mirror. Said tiny gust of wind blew up a large lock of hair that had managed to escape from the tie. If fell in front of her right eye and instead of undoing her work to place it back with it's brethren, the female pushed it to the side and tucked the end behind her ear. Rough fingers and cracked nails twisted as she took a deep breath and then let it out. The woman was undeniably nervous.

One hour. Shay was going to meet the Twins in one hour. The same people who were the little glowing orbs she'd tried to keep safe and away from the Decepticons.

It was really odd to think of the lights as people; talking, moving about, able to interact with the world people. Before she had been their only link to what was going on outside their glass and metal protected canister, and even that was limited. They'd obviously been alive, but not like this. Things were very very different now. And Shay was scared that this excursion would not end well.

'Why would it?' she asked herself as a hand closed the drop-down mirror in her cab and the driver door opened, 'You screwed up, big time. It is unlikely they will forgive you for it.'

She had point blank asked Sideswipe if he was mad at her, and the bot had responded hesitantly but honestly. And although he seemed pretty civil on the phone, there really was no telling how he'd react when they actually spoke in person. Not to mention Sunstreaker. Shay hadn't spoken with him at all. She briefly contemplated what their voices sounded like, because Sideswipe's was undoubtedly different over the phone. Everyone's voice got distorted a little when calling.

A flash of headlights as she hit the lock button on her new truck and made sure all the windows were rolled up. Someone might have questioned why she'd gotten a vehicle very similar to her father's, but Shay liked pickup trucks. They were usually reliable, sturdy and had never let her down before. Sage green rough leather boots crunched gravel underfoot as she left the parking lot and started walking away from the children's playground on the outskirts of a little town. Winding her way along the main road, the sun washed down from above in pleasantly warm waves. Still she kept her light jacket on as the woman turned away from the roar of engines, sparse farm houses and warming pavement onto a secluded dirt track that led through a small forested area. The unofficial bike trail twisted and turned around giant pines and spruces before diving down into a steep slide between two large mossy boulders and spitting her out into a grassy flatland. Far off, the waves turned to fields with new crops that were just starting to peak out of the damp soil and then more trees and a few buildings. She could just barely make out the shimmer of man made structures if she squinted.

Yesterday Shay had scouted out the area just to know the way. Sideswipe's directions of '_there's a bike path that leads through the trees. Go to the end where they're lots of grass_.' had not been very specific and she'd worried that she wouldn't be able to find it. But it was surprisingly easy enough and the woman hadn't any trouble stumbling upon it a second time. She stepped off the dirt track that turned away to outline the field and headed instead for the loan oak standing tall by itself.

A lighthouse on it's own in a sea of grass, the woman leaned back against the rough bark and sat down in the shade. The ground was barely dry enough for her to seat herself without risking wet jeans. Finches chattered above and took no notice of her presence. She tugged on her ponytail and worried her lip before closing her eyes and focusing on calm. She could do this. Even if they hated her. If they were okay and she found a way to stop these changes, then everything would be well.

Her chest felt funny. Eyebrows lowered in confusion as she rubbed it and noted how it didn't seem to hurt as much anymore. As if the sun rays glancing between leaves and boughs above were enough warmth, the ice cold feeling inside thawed and flowed away. Little by little until it wasn't so hard to breath.

All the pain and numbness kept month after month fled and Shay leaned her head back, a smile crossing her face. Like a load had been lifted from her shoulders, the heaviness left. But the human wasn't stupid and knew what that most likely meant. A few more moments of quiet and birdsong passed.

In the distance, the sound of heavy footsteps could be heard. They were early, but then again so was she.

Across the way and around the treeline came giants. Metal gleaming under the day's brilliance, the behemoths strode around the native plant life and towards her. At least one of them did, whilst the other hung back. Light tremors quaked under the dirt and into her palms where they rested against soil. Plating covered most of them, one crimson red and the other pure gold, with a few areas where gray mesh and wires were visible underneath. Shining pitch black metal wove in between layers and covered the red one's servos and yellow one's arms. Both heads were of the same onyx shade. Identical, she noted, except for the side panels on the golden giant and what looked like short horns curving up on the red individual. One could easily spot the vehicular nature of their alt modes by the headlights, windows and wheels adorning their frame.

Shay had been around Cybertronians before, when she'd briefly met the Autobots and had the unfortunate bad luck of being a target for Decepticons. But this was different. It was so because the ones here before her were the little lights she had guarded. Once small playful orbs and now mechanoid creatures so much larger than she. They were Mischief and Sullen, and that made all the difference in her mind.

Race-car red bot traipsed forward, nearly dragging his twin behind him. The golden bot's feet left dirt furrows in the ground as he resisted. Shay blinked and wondered if she'd missed something.

"Come...on...Sunnnnnnnyyyyyyyy" The carnelian one huffed as he tugged at the other, thereby answering her question of who was who. His voice sounded very similar to how it had been over the phone, masculine but still adolescent. Perhaps like a young mans or late teenagers would be.

Sunstreaker gave his brother a dark look, "No. Not until you tell me what's going on." A similar voice but just a tiny bit lower and rougher. Not nearly as cheerful.

The timbre of his words was just loud enough for Shay to hear and she sucked in a shocked breath. He didn't know! Sideswipe said he knew! Desaturated blue eyes widened as she stared at them and wondered how else this was going to go wrong. They hadn't even spoken to her yet. In fact, neither of them had noticed her under the tree.

Until that moment that is. Sky blue optics lit upon the figure blending in with the grass. Her short sleeved fern and silver jacket may have been passed over but dirty blue jeans weren't and from their vantage point, the denim was easy to see. Sunstreaker shoved the other off his arm and glared at the staring female before whirling to his twin.

"Please tell me you didn't." A strained whisper of horror and growing enmity.

Sideswipe's face twisted into a grimace as he cringed and held up his servos in a soothing gesture, "Now bro, I know..."

_Shock/Anger_

The human jumped up and started over towards them through the knee high vegetation until the angry giant's eyes peered down at her menacingly and she paused to judge if it was safe enough to come over. Picking a different option she spoke up.

"I understand if you don't want to speak with me. But please allow me to at least converse with your brother. Don't you want to figure out what is going on?" Shay pleaded, knowing that his answer would undoubtedly be negative and her actions futile. At least she was trying. Sideswipe intervened.

Helm tilted, he stared at her, "You sound like Prowl." The red lamborghini was ignored.

"There is nothing going on! And we're not talking to you!" Sunstreaker shouted down at the little human and made a threatening step forward that shook the ground. Her legs wobbled but held as she splayed out her arms for balance before dropping them back to her sides. Her teeth clenched and posture turned rigid.

_Anger_

"Are you not concerned about whatever is bothing you two?" She questioned, pushing aside the emotions that she knew weren't hers. The woman still remembered the difference between her feelings and those of the twins when they were lit up spheres.

"Glitched chatter box," he muttered with a look to his brother before speaking louder, "We don't need your help. It has nothing to do with you. Go away before I make you."

Sideswipe pouted and crossed his arms, "I can still talk to her if I want."

Instantly he ducked as the yellow Autobot took a swing at him and nearly clipped his helm. Shay instinctively took a step back in case this turned into a brawl. Another dodge of his brothers fist and Sideswipe ran around him to swoop down and pick up the human. She yelped in surprise and struggled in his warm grip.

"Put me down!"

Instead, he merely backed up out of his twin's range and they looked at each other, although Sunstreaker's was more of a death glower. He narrowed cold optics and studied her with calculating anger before giving his brother an order containing a very serious tone, "Put the human down. We're going back to base."

"Nope." Shay still attempted to free herself but was loosing the endeavor whilst her captor frowned, "We should have tried to speak with her before instead of putting it off. Come on Sunny, can't we at least talk?"

That was it. Shay had had enough of this nonsense and reacted on the anger that was not hers, "Put me down right now you overgrown tin can or the talk we'll have is how many toaster ovens I can make out of your spare parts! I am not a doll!"

The Twins looked at her and Sunstreaker snorted while the red one whined, "Ahhhhhh, you wouldn't really..."

"Yes. I would. I'm sure your medic will put you back together later." She snapped, cutting him off. Sideswipe sighed and tossed his optics skyward, mimicking an eye roll, before bending over to lower her back onto solid dirt and grass. She nodded curtly and muttered 'thank you' before straightening her clothes and eyeing them warily, just in case anyone got any bright ideas.

Sunstreaker snorted again derisively, "As if you could do anything to us." The human female merely shrugged in return.

"See, now we're talking to each other." A pleased look graced the frontliner's face. Shay turned to the one who really didn't like her right now. "Would you be opposed to murder? Not only has he lied to me, and you, but I don't appreciate being man-handled."

He thought about it, "Only because he dragged me into this. You're not helping me."

"Hey! You guys are supposed to get along, but not against me!" Exclaimed Sideswipe with a drooped stance.

Sighing and pinching the bridge of her nose, the human woman just shook her head. This was not going at all the way she'd hoped. The birds nearby had long since disappeared from all the commotion and it was now much quieter out. Sunstreaker snarled, enunciating each word.

"We. Are. Not. Getting. Along."

Shay twitched, trying to ignore the simmering that swirled below. It was time to get this conversation back on track, one way or another. But how? She took a deep breath and spoke louder to gain both the Autobot's attention.

"Sunstreaker," she started, ignoring the look he gave in return, "You can hate me all you like. I can deal with that and won't hold it against you. But regardless of everything else, we really do need to speak. Something happened and is still happening and this _needs_ to be resolved. If or when we manage to resolve it, if you no longer want to speak with me or see me ever again, then I will go. Until that point, we need to figure this out." It became silent as they stared at her and the human resisted the urge to fidget but gazed back coolly. If he hated her, then so be it. The brothers glanced at each other before Sunny shuttered his furious cerulean optics and growled.

_Irritation/Surprise_

"Fine." a slow hiss while Sideswipe grinned hugely and fist-pumped.

_Joy_

Then the ruby bot frowned at her again, "You really do sound like Prowl."

" Do not." She retorted and noticed the first emotion from Sideswipe to slip over before continuing, "Now, I already know your names and at least one of you knows mine, so introductions at this point are useless. Where do we start?"

She looked at them before turning back to sit in the shade. Sideswipe plopped down right next to her, moving aside a few branches so his helm could fit under the growth. Several leaves and twigs fell down to shower upon Shay and she gave a wary look but didn't move away. Sunstreaker refused to sit and merely stood a few feet away with arms crossed and expression mutinous.

"Why you left." Sides stated immediately. A wince flashed across her face before she could stop it.

Slowly she stated, "It's...complicated,"A pause as the female brought to mind the things she'd been wondering since that conversation, "Did you two think I left because I was afraid of you? That is what you asked before."

Sunstreaker refused to reply and turned his helm away to scorch the surrounding land with his gaze. A few clouds drifted overhead and swathed the ground in patches of shadow and light, the rays mixing with pollen in the air. Sideswipe rubbed the back of his helm and looked everywhere but her before piping up hesitantly.

"Well...we don't exactly have the best reputation. And we knew you cared," Sunstreaker growled but his brother soldiered on, "We felt that. So...I guess we assumed that someone had told you that we were dangerous and maybe you didn't want to talk to us?" He finished with a question, his voice lacking it's normal cocky tone.

"That is not it at all. If it was I wouldn't have left the note." Shay stated firmly with a sigh. They thought she was afraid of them. Really? They though she would leave just because of that?

"If I can handle insane Cons and being in your base, then I can handle two Autobot warriors. There's several parts of it and some part of it was fear, but not of you."

The gold bot looked down at her, his color scheme complimenting the blue atmosphere behind him, "Then why did you leave?!" He snapped.

Shay snarled back, "I'm getting to that. Quite pushing!" Silence as Sideswipe glanced between the two glaring individuals. Letting out a frustrated breath, she continued speaking to the mid-day sky, not looking at them now.

"I was scared, but not of you. Someone," she made sure not to use a name, "mentioned you weren't the most human friendly of bots. That's understandable. But then your medic informed me that you would not remember being in the container. He said something about memory circuits shutting down once you left your bodies and whatnot. Which meant you would not remember me."

She turned her gaze away from the emerald and forest green canapy above to stare straight into their glass optics, "You would have awoken without any knowledge of who I was or why I was there beyond helping return you to the Autobots. You wouldn't have remembered anything, including the lightning." A hand came up to press her point, waving as if to wash away something, "I did not know how you would react, and I'm awful at being around people. If you did not remember then there was no reason to stay."

"But we do. At least a little bit. It's blurry." Sideswipe admitted. Shay shook her head back and forth.

"Why would you have wanted a human around? I didn't belong there now and I still don't. I am _human. _Not Cybertronain. I'm sure you have enough on your plate because of this war without having to deal with me as well. So, a large part of it was I was afraid. I didn't want to face having to speak with you and see you when you wouldn't have remembered anything." A sigh slid out as she drew up her knees and looked blankly out at the meadow. There, she'd said it. Let them make what they will of it.

"Thats bull," the angrier twin spat, "You're lying."

_Rage/Betrayal/Disbelief_

Disapointment sank like a stone inside, "Believe what you like." She replied quietly. So that was how it was going to be. It wasn't like she'd expected much different anyhow. Shay made a mistake and now she was paying for it.

Sideswipe broke in desperately, "That's not all though. You said that was only part."

She nodded, "I knew sensing your emotions wasn't normal. It felt restraining. Not to mention no one asked, not one question about anything odd happening. Not from your leader, your medic, anyone. Which meant it wasn't something that was supposed to happen. I thought that if I left then it would stop. That distance... and time... would help. Obviously I was wrong." The admission left in a dry statement coupled with bitterness.

Sunstreaker huffed, "Obviously."

"That kind of failed. Miserably." His brother added, "Um...Hey Sunny?" Uh oh, she knew where this was going. The other frontliner narrowed his optics in suspicion and tipped his head in silent inquiry. The human felt her muscles tense.

"Ah... so Shay might have been affected more than us. A lot worse." Sideswipe stated carefully, walking on a carpet of land mines. Sunstreaker's optics paled.

"YOU'RE ONLY HERE BECAUSE YOU'RE HURT!"

Ten minutes of shouting back and forth and trying to get the aggravated warrior to calm down and stop pacing ended when Shay finally shouted at the top of her lungs.

"WHAT WOULD YOU HAVE DONE?!" Breathing heavily, she threw up her arms in frustration and sat down again with her now red face resting in a palm. However, Sideswipe was the one who answered.

"Well I would have said 'Hello'." He replied promptly. The other two just looked at him, "What? I would have."

There were brand new ridges in the meadow now, where the grass had been trampled over and flattened into the somewhat damp terrain. Taking a breath of the earthy scent, Shay let it out slowly. At least they were away from people. But she wondered if anyone nearby would come to investigate all the cacophony.

"Is he always like this?" She questioned aloud.

Sunstreaker nodded, "Usually."

"Why is it you guys only talk without getting angry at each other when you're ganging up against me?" Sideswipe gave a flat look and another pout. Sunstreaker smirked, and Shay saw him smile for the first time. It made him seem less scary, brightening his face.

"Because you're too easy to pick on," His twin replied while Sideswipe lobbed a clod of dirt at him. Considering it was half the size of Shay, she made a mental note not to ever have a snowball fight with them. Holding her tongue, Sideswipe quickly filled in Sunstreaker on what he knew and then Shay explained what had happened to her after she'd left. Sunstreaker kept his expression set to indifference the entire time, even when Sideswipe explained the 'ghost butterflies' to her.

His brother grunted and sat down finally, "That is still lame." Sideswipe turned to him, branches looped around his helm.

"Then what would you call it?"

All he got was a shrug in return and Shay finished turning all the information over in her head, "So we don't know exactly what happened." A statement, not a question, "And we do not know how to fix it either." The friendlier of the Autobots nodded and the human groaned, laying her head back against the bark.

He frowned, "At least you can't feel our emotions anymore. That would probably be a bad thing."

"Incorrect." Shay replied, still keeping her eyes closed.

Sunstreaker looked at her sharply, "What?!"

"When you asked the first time Sideswipe I couldn't feel either of you, but I was all the way across the county. Since you got here earlier, I have been able to pick up a few things. Mostly anger from you Sunstreaker. Neither of you are getting anything from me?" Blue eyes peaked open to look at them. Her chest didn't hurt anymore and that somehow made this all just a bit more bearable.

The twins looked at each other with widened optics before both sets glazed over. Shay frowned and was about to ask what they were up to when her mind hazed. Everything blurred out as two presences shoved against hers. The feelings in her chest sang with recognition. As quickly as they came, they left. She blinked twice and stared. Only a couple seconds had passed. Gazing at her, the Autobots remained silent.

"Did you do that?" She questioned.

Sideswipe nodded, expression still dazed, "That was weird. Like, we couldn't actually feel you there unless we actually tried and reached out." His brother remained silent, face unreadable while Shay shook her head, "I keep getting a lot of emotions from both of you, although the stronger ones seem easier to read. It appears that I keep feeling you guys but you can't feel mine unless you try. Why?" The woman muttered aloud, not understanding any of it.

"I guess we'll have to try to keep our part blocked off, although that's a bit hard 'cause I don't really know what we're blocking." Sideswipe added in thoughtfulness.

The three sat in silence as the sun moved overhead and a few brave avians dared to circle around, hoping the noisy intruders would stay quiet. None spoke as they contemplated what all of this meant and what to do next. Eventually the female spoke up again.

"Where do we go from here?" She looked to the other two for answers. They were the Cybertronians, so shouldn't they at least have a slightly better idea of what to do than she? Sideswipe bounced his leg a little and shrugged, not sure. Sunstreaker put forth his opinion.

"We should speak to Ratchet again. Maybe he'll find something or have an idea."

His brother immediately vetoed that, "No way! Then everyone will find out about this! And he'll _kill_ us for keeping stuff from him. We never told about what happened with Shay before. Besides, he didn't find anything when we told him things felt weird." Sunstreaker vented in agreement and looked just a little lost. Shay frowned.

"You did not tell the other Autobots about me being able to feel your emotions while you were just sparks in that jar?"

"No." Sunstreaker actually replied to one of her questions instead of letting his twin answer them all, "Did you think we did?"

She shrugged, "It did not occur to me one way or the other until now."

"So... we just go a little bit at a time then?" The carnelian lamborghini asked, "Figure it out and see what we can do?"

Sunstreaker looked like he disagreed whole-heartedly with that but nodded. Shay shrugged again before also dipping her head and standing. Her legs tingled from the blood as she'd been in the same position for too long, "I'll be staying close by so we can figure this out." The woman just barely caught a mutter from the golden bot.

'_**Well that's just great.**_'

Snorting at him, she replied, "Yes it is. Deal with it." And then immediately clapped a hand over her mouth, eyes widening as she realized that he hadn't spoken English. It had been a series of clicks and growls, stretched syllables and curved sounds of half words all woven into a language. Sunstreaker gaped at her in astonishment with large and freaked out optics while Sideswipe looked like a feather would knock his monolithic form over.

"You understood that?!" An excited grin burst across his face like a child who'd just discovered something entertaining in an unexpected place. He bounced a little in excitement before a branch whacked him on the horn and he remembered that he was bent over under a tree, '_**Can you understand this?**_'

_Surprise/Happy_

Nodding mutely, she cleared her suddenly dry throat. Unease slithered inside, "Yes. What... uh, what language is that?"

"Ours." Sunstreaker snarled. He'd fully planned to insult the human in that language. Now he'd have to use all the other ones he knew, which wasn't as much fun because insults always sounded better when they were in the language he'd helped invent, "Twinspeak. We made it up."

_Anger/Frustration_

With a growl, he got up to relieve his stress upon the nearby rock formations while the other two looked at each other. Sideswipe mused on this interesting fact and tried to think of a way it could be useful. Shay really wanted to go back to bed now. A rumble gave out from her stomach and the bot leaned down to peer at her. Excluding when he'd picked her up, this was the closest he'd been. She stared back at him, taking in the tiny details in the glass optics and miniscule mechanical working in the tiny crevaces between plating. Extending one dark digit, he carefully poked her stomach. She blinked at him.

"Really?"

He grinned, it was the kind of smile that people imagined when drawing imps and other mischief makers, "You're hungry?"

"Yes," Shay replied dryly and took off her jacket as it had grown warm, "Your name fits so well." The last part was barely said in a breath and she hadn't expected him to hear. No one had informed her that Cybertronians had excellent audios. He frowned in confusion and settled on his chest plating to be closer to eye level. Resting his helm on crossed arms, Sideswipe studied her.

"What do you mean?"

She blinked, "Huh?"

"You said my name fits so well. What did that mean?" Sunstreaker came back over and sat down, scrutinizing the two and silently joining the conversation. Shay pursed her lips and internally debated how to answer before just bluntly replying.

"I didn't know your names before I spoke with the Autobots. It took a bit before I realized you guys were alive and not just some glowing orbs and all, so you needed names. Since I didn't know..."

"You made some up." Sunstreaker cut her off with a harsh look.

Sideswipe appeared giddy, helm lifted, "What were they?"

With a wry expression she chuckled and the bot smiled wider, "I named you Mischief. You were pretty bouncy, and tended to chase your brother around. I didn't know you were brothers till later either." The smile slid away and her eyes latched onto Sunstreaker's, "I did not realize the orbs you gave me were actually you two. I thought you were dead for a while."

He didn't reply but Sideswipe asked again, "What was Sunny's name?"

"Sullen," came the answer as the crimson bot laughed and the tawny lamborghini rolled his optics. Shay huffed, "It's your own fault. Most of the time you wouldn't have anything to do with me and sulked quite a bit."

"Watch it." he growled at her in return but made no comment on the subject of their conversation. His twin sat up bouncing in excitement.

"Hey! We could use those as code names. I like mine!" The smile threatened to split his face and Shay noticed the straight things in his mouth that appeared to be teeth. They even had two sharp points on the bottom and top. She tilted her head at him and delivered with heavy sarcasm.

"Do you need code names?"

Sunstreaker snorted, "No." His brother whined.

"Awwhhhhh Sunny, you're no fun."

The other merely frowned and glanced at the sun, "We need to go back. Our shift starts in half an hour." Groaning, the more cheerful bot stood and brushed all the loose blades of grass off before turning to Shay.

"We'll see you soon?"

Shay nodded, "Would the same time in four days work for you?" The woman pulled out her hair band to let it cascade down and tied her jacket around her waist.

"Five." Sunstreaker snipped. She nodded and copied him, "Five then. Right now I need to go find some food. " She actually felt hungry. It had been awhile since the female had wanted to put something in her stomach and the gnawing inside was getting to her.

Not even looking back, the golden frontliner started walking off the way they'd come, "Don't think this means I forgive you human. I'm only putting up with you for now." He called over his shoulder while Sideswipe bent down to blow some air on Shay, making her hair whip out behind her from the gust and take on a look not so different from a lion's mane.

"Thanks." she snapped at him and brushed it back down. He merely gave a thumbs up and chuckled before going to catch up with his sibling. Shay shook her head and turned back towards the trees, parting the grass in her wake. She wondered how long it would be before the pain set in again. One could just make out the Twins arguing, even as she climbed back up the small slope and into the shade.

"Admit it Sunny, that wasn't so bad."

"Shut up Sides."

Giving a breathless chuckle and shaking her head, she went back to her truck. The Autobots continued on their separate way and out of her hearing range. Sideswipe still had a cheerful look on his face and the other scowled at him as he stomped toward a road.

"I'm going to take all your video games because you went behind my back."

Heavy footsteps slowed, "Awwwhhh Sunny. You wouldn't have come if I'd told you." Sideswipe tried to make his brother see his side of things.

"Don't care." The frown didn't leave his face but the carnelian bot looked at him sidelong before replying., "Well, I like her. Admit you liked her too. She didn't call you any nicknames."

Sunstreaker gave a death glare as they found the road and transformed, waiting for a clear patch so they could join in, "I'll admit nothing because there's nothing to admit. She's irritating. And she threatened to turn you into spare parts." He said nothing about the fact that Shay actually hadn't used his nickname at all through the encounter although his sibling had.

"You, Ratchet, Ironhide, Prowl and a buncha other people threaten that all the time, bro."

"As I said, don't care." The merged seamlessly into the flow and took off at hight speeds back to base. Sideswipe finally shut up and left Sunstreaker to his own thoughts. And truthfully, they were very tangled thoughts indeed.

For the few seconds they'd managed to latch onto Shay, he'd felt a lot of things. Hurt, pain, regret. Lots and lots of regret. Hope, frustration, and a labrynth of other things he hadn't been able to puzzle out. Zooming down the pavement, Sunstreaker wondered if Shay really had been getting that much emotions from them the entire time they'd been there. He also wondered if perhaps she had been telling the truth. Could she really have left for the reasons she'd said? If so, then he no longer had an excuse to be so angry. It was much easier to blame someone else, to stay mad.

Confused and caught in his own web of speculation, Sunstreaker couldn't decide if it was a good or bad thing that Sideswipe had tricked him today.

.

.

.

* * *

You didn't expect them to just get along right?


	21. Part Four Watching Red Skies

Fifty miles an hour was slow. Frustratingly indolent. Sunstreaker wanted to _move,_ zip forward and feel the wind struggling against his frame as he gave his engine a good run. Instead they were going just barely above the speed limit. And if the golden lamborghini did race ahead then he'd have to deal with that stupid human sooner. Either way, Sunny lost.

The two flashy vehicles rounded another curve in the pavement and Sideswipe sighed, "I still can't reach her. You?" His words whooshed past as they drove at a moderate pace instead of their normal racing.

Not that Sunstreaker had tried that hard but he answered anyways, "No. We're almost there. She might not show. Probably ran off again."

"Sunny! You have no faith."

"Nope." A low grumble came from the yellow lambo as the crimson one edged forward in agitation, tires kicking up miniscule particles of dust from the warm blacktop. Birdsong quieted and stilled under the engine noise violently stalking through the air. Farther away in the direction the two had come, the clutter and hubbub of people grew distant. Sunlight cast tree shadows down to make stripes on their glossy paint jobs as Sideswipe disagreed, "Shay said she'd meet us there, so she will!"

"Or she'll run off like last time."

"Suuuunnnnnyyyyyy." whined his twin and then a jolt went through his frame, "Found her!"

Hesitantly, Sunstreaker reached out as well and found...

_Irritation. Patience_

It was like Sideswipe but not. The sulkish frontliner couldn't get over the fact that he was able to feel emotions from someone other than his twin. Strangely surreal and vexing, either way Sunstreaker didn't like it. But there was no more time to dwell on that annoyance as the Autobots rounded the last curve and came to their warehouse.

An ugly building by the golden warrior's standards, it was built at least three decades ago and set right up against a rising and layered stone cliff that kept prying eyes from it. Wide sash windows set high up did little to help the faded cream tinted outer paneling that clashed horribly with the surrounding trees and hillside. The two story building served the twins' purposes. Slightly hidden but still close to city life in case they needed to disappear quickly. Within easy driving distance of the Ark but their own personal space to relax. Or hide things.

Leaning back against the outer wall, Shay lifted a hand in greeting but didn't smile as they pulled into the asphalt drive before her. Today the woman's brown hair was pulled out of the way with a lavender head scarf and the denim jacket kept her arms warm from the late spring chill. The ever present jeans and leather work boots wrapped around her form although the latter tapped against the concrete step beneath her in a soothing slow rhythm. Sideswipe skidded to a stop and bounded on his shocks, only a few feet away with his brother staying back farther.

"We could feel you about 300 yards away. That's not very far at all." Plating slid against itself and folded as Sideswipe transformed, "How far away before you could reach us?" His helm leaned down as he questioned the female.

She studied the giant suddenly crouching down over her and lifted an eyebrow as if to inquire about how she was supposed to know how far away they had been. Rubbing the compilation of tiny purple bruises and cuts adorning her arms and hands, she sighed. A few marks showed on her neck but the woman's face remained scratch free. Thoughtfully, she replied while twisting the bottom hem of her jacket.

"About twelve, maybe fifteen minutes ago. How far away were you then?"

Sunstreaker returned to bipedal mode and ignored her while his brother replied, "I'm thinking five miles?" He turned to Sunny for confirmation and got a nod, "Yeah, five miles. How come we can't reach you as easy?"

The woman shrugged at Sideswipe's complaint, "I have no answer for that."

"What about you bleeding? Got an answer for that?" The buttercup tinted lambo snarked.

Her previously neutral posture shifted into a decidedly _frosty_ expression. Sunstreaker wasn't reaching out but Sideswipe was and he frowned in confusion at the darker feelings that slithered up. Very pointedly, Shay glanced down at her scratched up arms and seemed to examine the cuts before lifting desaturated blue eyes to meet their optics.

"More than one person mentioned to me that you sometimes pull pranks, mainly you Sideswipe. When I got here I believed I was at the wrong location. And then a box of nails fell on me and proved it was the right place." A flat tone hinted at dry exasperation and annoyance as her foot kicked a short and wide cardboard box filled to the brim with shiny and sharp steel nails. The little metal sticks jangled against each other in chiming notes.

She'd picked up every single one. Or at least, all that she'd been able to find due to several staying undoubtedly lost in the nearby grass. But after Shay had finished she had investigated the trap. A balance sat on metal framework above, tucked under the striped awning. Apparently it was rigged to tip it's platform (and whatever was on the platform) when someone turned the doorknob. Smart, she'd thought. And maybe the woman could've appreciated it, if all those points hadn't hurt so much.

_Shock. Regret_

Both bots looked at her in surprise before Sideswipe swore and his brother started to chortle, engine rumbling in muted laughter. Shay glared hard at him while the red twin tried to apologize.

"I completely forgot we rigged that...!"

"Sunstreaker interrupted, "_You_ put that there."

"But it was an accident! I should have warned you!" A very apologetic look flashed across Sideswipe's faceplates, "That was to keep intruders out."

"So glad you find amusement in my pain Sunstreaker. And a box of nails is supposed to stop Decepticons?" Sarcasm slid to a frank and disbelieving tone. Nearby crickets deemed it warm enough and started their orchestra, even though it wasn't anywhere near evening. They were ignored by the group.

Speaking to Shay for the first time, the golden frontliner remarked, "It's too keep nosy human's out."

"Sorry Shay." Added the carnelian Autobot, leaning down farther so she could easily see the apology in his face.

Sighing once more, she uncrossed her arms and used one hand to rub her forehead, "Fine."

"Fine?" They echoed.

"You say it's an accident, then I'll believe that."

"Really?" Sideswipe sat back on the parking lot pavement. People tended to always think he'd played a prank on purpose. But there was that once in a blue moon that something went wrong and it got the wrong person or it really wasn't him. The others rarely listened when he did claim innocence to something like this.

Shay frowned and studied him, "Yes. Although you lied to me before. The only reason I will not try to get you back for it is because I am sure your brother already has or is planning to do so." A nod to the scowling lambo.

"Slagging right." he agreed.

"So I'll let it be." She continued, pushing strands of hair away as she turned back to Sideswipe, "And I'll give you the benefit of doubt. If you say it wasn't purposeful, then it wasn't. However."

A frigid and stone solid voice, "Lie to me again and I will lose trust in your words."

At that silence grew. Then Sunstreaker snorted and unlocked the cargo bay doors to stride inside, "You talk too much."

"Most people tell me I talk too little." the woman informed him flatly.

She carefully followed him inside with the last member of their party at her heels. Keeping a wary eye out for more ambushes and traps, Shay took in the renovated space. The red bot moved past her to flop himself on the couch.

And it was a giant mist blue couch, set against the left wall with the small windows above letting in soft filtered light. The floor was clear but stacks of things piled here and there. On the right wall hung a large TV with neat pyramids of movies and video games beneath, a fire house red plastic bin holding the overly sized controllers just the right size for someone three or four times her height. Bolted framework shelves held collections of odd things, from cans of paint to brushes to toy race cars to dart guns and piles of rubber ducks that looked like they had gone to war with a wolverine and lost. Shay really wasn't sure she wanted to know why they had the squeaky plastic things.

Farther back she caught sight of what looked like a table holding pulled apart weapons and humongous canvases leaning against the table legs. Lines of shiny cans near the back took up the right corner and then Sunstreaker moved to cut off her view. Shay took a deep breath and recognized grease and car oil mixed with a few other fumes. Definitely paint though.

Overall, not clean but not messy either. No dust lingered except for on a human sized door to the right where a few cobwebs had collected.

"Well," stated Sideswipe, still pondering, "I think it's more like; when you do talk, you use a bunch of words and talk kinda formal. Are you sure you're not just a human female version of Prowl sent to torment us?" He grinned cheekily and the woman could easily see the joke in his optics.

"I'd believe that." Sunstreaker put in.

Shay rolled her eyes skyward leaned against the couch, "I am not like Prowl. Does he break the rules?"

The lighter colored hellion started sorting through stacks of CDs by the television, apparently searching for a specific one. Noting how tiny the discs were in his hands, Shay wondered how he handled the thin material without it snapping. Sideswipe rested his chin on the arm of the sofa before answering, "No."

"Then I'm not like Prowl."

"Are you saying you've broken rules?"

She paused, "I admit nothing."

A cackle burst it's way out his throat, red frame shaking as his engine rumbled in delight, "Pfft haha ha! Oh Sunny, I really like our human. She's hilarious!" The other two responded at the same time, words overlapping.

"She's not _our_ human!" Sunstreaker snapped, helm whipping up and blue optics lightening.

"I am _not _hilarious!" The woman growled, crossing her arms, "I was completely serious!"

Glowering at each other, the yellow lamborghini and young human got into a serious staring contest while Sideswipe started laughing again. She refused to break eye contact even when he stood over her and brought his faceplates down close to her. Shay was mightily tempted to flick his nose but refrained. After a few more seconds he pulled back and went over to finish sorting through the music.

"Idiot human."

"Overgrown toaster." she retorted. Mischievous and glowing cerulean optics appeared above her as Sides peered over the edge, grinning like a maniac, "Stop laughing you." Shay huffed at him.

"Stinking messy organic." Apparently Sunstreaker couldn't let her have the last word.

"Rusty tin can." The woman could go on for a while and undoubtedly, so could the bot.

_Frustration_

"QUITE THAT!" The more volatile lambo snarled at her. Her scowl just deepened and she raised an eyebrow, not appearing fazed at the raised volume in the least. And apparently, ignoring the very real threat. Instead, Shay continued to piss off the Cybertronian with more weapons than she had socks.

"Then stop being a jerk. I know you don't want me here, I can feel it you know. So ignore me. But stop insulting and I'll stop."

"What if I don't?" A sarcastic snarl as his brother remained silent and content just to watch the aggressive quarrel.

Her eyelids dropped to half mast as she gazed at him coolly, "I will shoot you."

Now Sunstreaker laughed, "With what? Foam darts? Not even bullets can do that much damage." Scorn heavy in his voice, he just got up. It seemed he'd found the CD he'd wanted.

Heading toward the back of their converted warehouse, he failed to notice the change. Perhaps if the tall Autobot had turned around he would have seen the woman's face harden in resolution, eyes and demeanor turning flinty. Perhaps he would have seen her draw the small metal and rubber slingshot out of her jacket and marble from a pocket. Perhaps, if Sideswipe's optics were not on his twin, he would have seen it too. And maybe, he would have tried to stop it.

But Sunstreaker did not turn around and his brother was not looking at the human for half a moment. Long enough for her to launch the short distance projectile at the lambo's large and hard to miss body. A sharp crack as the glass sphere's spinning route was cut short by smashing into a black helm and shattering into two larger shards and one smaller one. They fell to the floor in tiny high-pitched dings, as miniscule slivers glittered like diamond rain and fell into the spaces between golden plating. No doubt getting caught on the internal wires

Dead silence.

_Fury_

'Jazz said one of them was vain,' she suddenly recalled with impending dread. What was her luck that it was the one she'd just scratched?

With a loud roar, the frontliner whirled and lunged at the the human. Just her luck then. Sideswipe leaped up and snagged the female before scrambling out the still open door. His twin gave chase, snarling the entire times as Shay clung to the warm metal fingers wrapping around her squishy midsection. She still held the slingshot in her hand.

"Give me that human!" Sunstreaker skidded out to the pavement and drew up sparks in the slide. He pursued them as the red hellion danced around the building and just barely kept out of reach. Growing bored of that, he started crashing through trees. Shay closed her eyes as the blue above, greens, and sepia browns spun into a blur. Fast moving air whipped around her.

"Not a chance bro!" Sideswipe called back gaily. Another engine roar answered him.

And then the noise of the other became distant and faded as the red one lost his twin in the woods. Deciding they were a good distance, Shay called up to her would-be rescuer, still with eyes tightly shut, "Sideswipe."

Cheerful excited whoops, "I can't believe you did that! Oh Primus is he mad." It felt like she was being moved in all sorts of directions. Only the feeling of his servo let her know which way was up or down. Shay repeated his name louder.

They stopped and she warily looked around to find they were now much farther back. Huge oaks and a few young red woods surrounded them on all sides, blocking the sun above in patches. Looking upside-down, she found the carnelian Autobot grinning like a lunatic. Maybe he was, Shay was still figuring them out. To their right came a distant crash and shout to stop messing around and get out here.

"Would you set me down?" the woman inquired. Sideswipe snickered but didn't release his grip.

"Sunny's really mad at you."

Shay rolled her eyes, "Yes, I noticed. The malevolent feelings I'm picking up aren't a clue at all." More chuckles, "Seriously. Why don't you put me down and pretend to carry me that way? And I'll head back."

A hand pointed ahead through the wooden pillars as she stowed the slingshot back into her light denim coat. Sideswipe thought about it, before setting her on a craggy limestone boulder jutting from the ground. Then the bot informed her dryly, "He's not going to calm down anytime soon."

She nodded and frowned, "I know. Are you telling me you can't pull off pretending to carry me?" The red lambo protested and picked up a small log that was half buried under moss and bracken. It was roughly the size of her. Blue jays screeched nearby.

"Can too." Sideswipe huffed, "And don't think I'm stupid. Questioning my skills doesn't normally work you know, I just want to get my bro good." Sideswipe winked and Shay bowed her head in apology. Then he pointed behind them at an angle with an impish smile, "Building's that way."

A nod of thanks from the female before he disappeared through the plant life, making enough noise to attract his twin's attention and scare the local wildlife for hours. Shay had only gone a few feet before there was a distant clamor and more loud crashes. By the time she was in sight of the warehouse, the normal forest sounds had returned along with far away vehicle commotion from the highway nearby. A few of last Autumn's wet leaves stuck to her leather boots as she tromped around the side of the old structure. No one was within and the rolling doors were still up where they'd been left. The woman planted her butt on the concrete step. Only a moment or so passed before one of the Cybertronians stalked out of the woods.

Pale silvery face leaning close to her once again, he growled. Shay decided that they needed another intimidation tactic besides getting in someone's personal space but held back the comment. Annoyance and anger shivered off his gargantuan frame in waves. The young adult merely looked at him solemnly and blinked back. Finally he pulled his shard sharp glaring blue orbs away and sat on the blacktop next to her.

The ground shivered a little from the light impact but Shay just played with the long flower stems in her hands. Apparently, he'd vented a good portion of his rage while chasing his twin. Said lambo would soon realize he was no longer being hunted. Sunstreaker started to pull leaves and small branches off himself with a disgusted look before he finally huffed.

"Why aren't you scared? You must be an idiot." A low rumble as another stick came out. He shook himself and many little bits of debris fell off. It reminded her of a dog shaking off water.

"I'm not afraid of you." Shay stated and looked up directly into his scowling face.

The female turned back to tying the plucked shoots into complicated knots. Her feet came up and tucked themselves neatly under folded knees as she thought. Shay truthfully couldn't stay scared of them. Sure, the roaring and stomping wasn't exactly pleasant. But every time she looked at them, the memories from before came up. When they'd been swirling little balls of light chasing each other around and poking her for fun. The woman couldn't forget that nor could she fail to remember how cute and fragile they'd been. She was pretty sure Sunstreaker would not be pleased if she mentioned the cute part.

A derisive huff, "And that is why you are a moron. Your survival skills suck." Grumbles echoed from his chest and he leaned back against the building wall with his legs sticking straight out. He pulled a square satiny looking cloth out from somewhere near his hip and started to wipe down his lower body.

She added another stem to the twists, "No, my survival instincts are yelling at me that you could kill me easily and within seconds. They are saying to get to a small underground place where you can't reach me and stay there."

Sunstreaker glanced at her again and raised one boredly questioning optic ridge. The other frontliner would surely be back soon. Fingers pulling and tugging the longer grass blades, she continued.

"However, I know you won't cause me serious harm. You would not kill the person who saved your life or your brothers."

"And how would you know that?" He narrowed his optics and made his tone show how much he really thought she'd know of the subject. Shay looked away from the overgrown grass to peer at him. A pause before answering.

"That doesn't sound much like an Autobot. Besides, you trusted a complete stranger with your twin's spark. That shows how desperate you were to keep him alive." The female turned away to drop the plants and rest her chin on a palm, "You won't kill me because I saved Sideswipe, not to mention you."

Sunstreaker glared at the sky and mumbled, "I could still squish you."

"I'll be sure to haunt you as a ghost before telling Optimus Prime." A dry response.

"Tattle-tale." He retorted without any real heat and starts cleaning his chest. They could hear Sideswipe, heading in their direction. The gold and starting-to-shine again bot continued without emotion, "There's leaves and vegetation all over me. I hate you."

Shay refused to say aloud that he sounded like a sulking adolescent. She briefly wondered how old they were compared to the other Autobots and nodded, swallowing the hurt that threatened to rise up. Telling herself she deserved it. "I know."

The red lamborghini was only a few yards away and flashes of shining cardinal metal showed between trunks as the yellow one continued, "I bet you think you're such a clever human." Sideswipe walked out of the woods and froze upon seeing the Autobot and human sitting next to each other. And not trying to rip each other's throats out.

"Not clever. Perceptive." She frowned and gestures for the third person of their group to take a seat next to them, "If I were clever, I never would have gotten into this situation in the first place. I wouldn't have been chased, injured, or dealing with this irritating pain."

"It's still bothering you? We haven't felt anymore of those weird sensations." Sideswipe carefully sat on the other side of his twin, thereby putting Sunstreaker in the middle and unable to get out the conversation.

She didn't see Sunstreaker uncrossing his arms to reach over toward her, eyes now back to her knots, "I was fine when I last met with you and for three days after. The day before yesterday it came back but it's been fine since you've been here. I don't hurt now."

A dark servo grasped her by the back of her jacket and lifted, plucking her from her seat. She squawked in surprise as he lifted her a good eight or so feet up before letting go. The human yelped and landed in a crouch, heavy rough leather footwear thunking on the hard dirt.

"Now you do."mocked the golden lambo, "That's for the scratch."

She glared up at him with blazing eyes. Straightening, Shay gave him the middle finger and stomped back to her seat, "It's doubtful I even scratched you. It was a marble."

His brother put his two cents in, "I don't even see anything Sunny. Quite being a sparkling." He got a shove in return.

"Don't shoot me again."

"Don't piss me off again."

"Hey!" Sideswipe clapped his hands together for attention, "Why don't we go inside and figure out this language thing? And then we can watch a movie." He looked hopefully at them with clasped servos.

Sunstreaker didn't like that idea and threw up his servos in frustration, "This isn't a game Sides! It's serious!"

"I agree with Sunstreaker." Tossed in the female. The citrine colored bot looked at her like he couldn't believe she'd said that. His twin sighed.

"It's not like we're gonna figure this out in a day. Can't we just relax a bit?" he pleaded again, servos clasped together and a lower lip sticking out. Shay and the yellow lambo glanced at each other with hooded gazes before the woman nodded and got up to head inside. Sunstreaker scrambled after her in case she got into things she shouldn't. Shay wasn't that sort but the Cybertronian still didn't like the intrusion into his space.

Sideswipe grinned wickedly and came last. 'Oh yes,' he thought, 'We can make this work.' It would take some effort and probably lots of arguments. But they would do it. Even if he had to draw on all his charm to make them get along.

* * *

On one side of the table sat the commander with three officers. Tired, ill at ease, and very much looking forward to someone coming up with answers. Opposite to them in the meeting room, the scientists. Sighing in frustration, the latter group just shook their helms.

"What I am trying to make clear," spoke Perceptor with a light British accent, "is that we do not currently possess enough information to even begin formulating to what purpose these materials are being used for." His dark servos gestured at the contents on the table. Thin wire spools of delicate filaments, carrying containers of various liquids in carefully wrapped packages and common sheet metals all spread from the crate. Lying on the gray steel, they appeared innocuous. Jazz started tipping his chair causing it to give off a faint squeak.

"So yah dunno." Grumped Ironhide whose arms were now crossed and accompanied by a frown.

Wheeljack's ear fins lit up as he shook his helm, "There's so many things anyone could do with these."

"Although the selected chemicals are an odd mix." Put in the microscope-former.

"Right. But there just really aren't enough clues for us to figure out what they're up too." His friend agreed.

Optimus nodded, "Thank you. Why don't you keep these aside in your lab and try to discern their nature."

Understanding their dismissal, the two scientists quickly packed it all up and placed it into the carrying container. Before they got through the entrance way however, the Prime called out again. Pausing, Wheeljack looked back.

"They _stay_ set aside Wheeljack. No experiments until we know how valuable those materials are." The Lancia slumped and would undoubtedly have been pouting if not for the blast guard protecting his lower face. "Alright alright, I got it," he muttered and the automatic door whooshed shut behind them with a near silent 'whumph'.

"It's big Prahm. Whatever it is."

The tactical officer confirmed his opinion, "With so many cargo transports all within a few months? It is unlikely to be a small operation. We need to intercept more to find out what they are building."

"They're bein' more careful." The Special Operations Officer added, putting wheels and feet up on the table. Prowl gave a slight glare but couldn't reach over to slap them down because their leader sat between the two. Said Autobot was staring off into space, lost in thought between the dull tangerine walls and the problem before them.

Finally he gave a weary rumble, "There is nothing more to do now. Jazz, keep finding the drop off points. Have Trailbreaker and Hound help you secure those crates. If we manage to get enough, perhaps we can find out what they are up too."

"We do not have a location for where they are being taken?" The black and white Praxian frowned and turned to the porsche. Jazz shrugged in return and tapped his fingers lightly on his chest as he tilted his chair. "Mirage's gotta optic on em but they're slippery fraggers. By the tahm we get there, they're headin' in all different directions. They take a different route each tahm and keep managin' tah loose us."

Ironhide made a fist, dark ash colored servos clenching, "But it ain't their base."

Jazz shook his visored helm. The red and gray bot vented in frustration. Optimus nodded and stood, signaling the end of the discussion, "That is enough for today. We will discuss the subject when we have more information."

While everyone else got up, the black and white spy had leaned back too far and tipped over. The chair (and bot) flipped backwards to land in a clatter. Jazz looked up at them with an 'I'm okay' sort of grin while Prowl shook his head, amused looks coming form the others.

"Nobody tell Red the cons are plottin' and we don't know what they're up tah. He'll breaka circuit." The porsche chuckled, picking himself and the chair up.

"When does Red Alert _not _believe the Decepticons are scheming?" Inquired the two-colored semi with a good-natured tone. He held the door for the others. An unusual gesture that many higher-rank officers on Cybertron had never bothered to do for others of lower rank. But Optimus was different and his bots appreciated that fact.

Trying to cheer each other up and get their processors away from the unsolved problem, the Autobots headed towards the rec room where the unmistakable sounds of laughter, talking and faint music flowed out to bounce around the nearly empty metal halls. One still had to remember to relax and live, even during a war. An hour, or two, to loosen up would help them all.

.

.

.

"There you are," the tall Decepticon stated upon the arrival of his team. As the three vehicles pulled into the half lit cavern, he slid the reinforced doors closed with a reverberating thud and crossed his lightly plated arms. Flashes of lamplight skittered across the red optic band and annoyance sparked in the con's scratchy voice. "What took so long?"

Not stopping to take in the stalagmites or oddly shaped tunnel room, the acid green bulldozer transformed in a whirling of gears and jerked upright as a thicker set mech with treads covering his legs, "Hey Scrapper. It was Autobots. Snoops tried to get the goods."

"The materials better not be damaged! They _must_ be in perfect order!" Yelled a haughty voice from farther back behind granite pillars and piles of discarded scraps. It echoed slightly on the stone walls.

The first speaker, Scrapper, hollered at him in a nasally tone, "Focus on your task! We'll check the materials Hook."

Gravel and rock crunched underfoot as the last two neon colored vehicles transformed, one a digger and the other a dump truck. Both had a multitude of faint lacerations and blast marks on their violet and green armor. Treads rolling and spinning, the bulldozer continued, "We lost a box or two but most of it's still here. And we roughed them up a bit."

"Take them back to the main lab," Scrapper sighed with his arms crossed. His teammates pulled several crates out of subspace and headed farther underground.

Passing a low point in the ceiling and Hook deep in a project near the back tunnel, the Decepticons stomped along a wide hall. Little puffs of dust and grit rose up in their wake. The rough hewn corridor of rock soon gave way to metal paneling and scores of tubes running here and there throughout the ceiling. The tracks of wheel treads beneath them disappeared. Within a moment or so the construction vehicles entered a larger section of tunnel with brighter yellow lights set high up. Wire mesh shielded the small bulbs. Metal sheets encasing and protecting their walkway was not so lucky; scratches and dents, chemical burns and blackened patches covered the tough panels. The defining scents of flammable chemicals was noted but ignored by the Cybertronians, who were very much used to it by now.

Into a colossal room they went. Nearly four times their height, it was a proper lab with tables, work lamps and benches. Pipes connected all around while a vent in the ceiling failed to cycle out the lingering wisps of soldering smoke along with argon and potassium mists that clung high up above. The whirling fan made a quiet clicking noise, the only thing to hear besides the thrum in the tubes and an occasional dissonant creak or sputter from the machinery cluttering in any space available. Emptiness only presided in the middle of the room and off to the right where large metal shelves held identical crates of supplies and bins of random objects. This was where the new metal boxes were set as Bonecrusher, Scavenger and Long Haul skirted a massive squared off cylindrical structure in the center of the lab.

Scaffolding rose on spindly joints off the right side where the machine was obviously being worked on. Between plating and crystal panes one could see a resting turbine on the inside of the generator. Wires and circuit boards hung out where they'd yet to be set in place. It was dark and unmoving under harsh light now, but it would be finished. Shortly, it would spin and crackle with energy.

"Oooooohhhh, new supplies?" A buoyant voice called. Unlike the other Constructicons, the last one had no visor. Burgundy optics lit with glee as Mixmaster got up from his seat at a work table and studied the crates.

"For the generator," Scrapper pointedly remarked coming into the room last, "On Megatron's orders."

The cement mixer sighed and sat back down with a scowl to play with his glass tubes, colored liquids glinting and shimmering inside. Long Haul turned his head toward his fellow con before looking at their leader in the echoing room. It was impossible to tell his expression with the visor and mouth guard.

"I still don't like doing Starscream's project. If he wants it so bad then why can't he do it?"

Bonecrusher laughed harshly, a crow's caw in an enclosed space, "He can't design and make _anything_!"

"It is true that the seeker's skills do not include constructing." Admitted the team leader, "Our designs tend to be less flawed than his. But he understands the nature of the generator and the science. We understand how to make it."

Scrapper paused before barking an order at the quietest of them, "Scavenger! We're still low on vanadium, titanium and molybdenum. Steal from the humans if you have to, just get some."

"Yessir!" the digger saluted and eagerly ran back out the door, ignoring the snickers that followed.

Before long, new glass tubes full of vaporous liquid were being placed in the machine as they worked, sparks flying from the solders to dance upon the rough floor. The smell of heated iron filtered through to the air to join the astringent tang of chemicals. Flare light cast moving shadows around the lab as the Constructicons continued their work deep underground.

Soon enough, they would be finished.

* * *

.

.

.

Music: Nick Phoenix - Planetize


	22. Chapter 22

"AAAACCHHHOOOOOO!" Sniffling, the human pulled out a tissue to get the snot from her nose.

Disgust crossed the face of the Autobot sitting only a few feet away, "That's gross. Stop doing that."

Shay didn't even bother to look up from the bonsai she was pruning. Even though the two of them insulted and bantered every time she came around, it had turned into an almost truce. Sunstreaker would nitpick or insult, the woman would snark back in return, and eventually they would get bored and move on to something else. Or one would successfully piss off the other. In her case she lost either way. If Shay did get really angry she would shoot him with a marble and then have to run before polishing and waxing him later. 'Stupid vain lamborghini' had become a common curse for her to mutter.

"Humans are gross." Sunstreaker apparently couldn't let this go, even though she'd been hacking and sneezing for two days now. With a sigh at the sweat trickling over her face, the female readjusted her sunglasses to block the mid-day's glare from above and hoped that by arguing with the bot he would loose interest in the topic and go back to whatever in the world he was sketching.

"It's not my fault I was born organic, metal head. I'll complain to whoever is in charge when I die."

"Metal head is better than sack of squish and fluids." An eye roll was her only response. Someone save her from bots with a superiority complex, she thought before pulling out the anodized aluminum wire to wrap around a few of the branches. For a brief moment she let her mind wander and contemplated who was worse: Sullen's antagonism and general pain-in-the-ass attitude or the mayhem and trouble of his red brother? Just a few days ago Sideswipe had stolen the poor juniper bonsai she'd just bought and hidden it for hours. Unholy terror that one was.

"Tin can."

His engine rumbled ominously. Blue eyes narrowed. Someone was snarly today, "Squishy tag-along!"

"Glitched creation of a trash compactor!" The female had made it painfully clear from the start that she wasn't putting up with any of their BS. Insults meant she spat back.

The stylus that had scritched across the flat screen of the data pad paused as he stared at her. A bird shrug with only half lifted shoulders as Shay kept her hands steady on her work. Finally the gold lambo huffed, "Where did you learn that?"

"You and Sideswipe were shouting at each other while wrestling yesterday."

Her head suddenly swung to the right when a twisting frustrated feeling on her insides proclaimed said bot's approach along the tree lined road that lead to the warehouse. No matter how many times they'd experimented, the results were always the same. Shay could feel them from within a five mile radius (roughly), even if they tried blocking their emotions. Yet the Twins couldn't reach her unless extremely close and actually reaching out. This fact annoyed the crimson hellion to no end. Sunstreaker himself seemed to just hate the fact that the little human could tell their emotions.

A faint engine growl that grew louder in the distance under clear skies. Giving another sneeze and brushing her braid back over her shoulder, the female remarked, "He should slow down. One of these days he's going to time it wrong and wreck."

"He knows what he's doing." Not bothered by the incoming monsoon of cheerful shenanigans, the bot carefully wrote the date on his data pad and saved the work before stretching. His shadow covered the grass and human where she was working. Shay lifted her sunglasses to glare and gestured at the potted plant. He was in her light. Studiously ignoring the stubborn woman, Sunstreaker pulled at a shoulder pad until the cables creaked from reaching their limit. Then he did the other one while the woman's eyes narrowed further at the blatant attempt to annoy her.

Bright cherry red streaked around the curve and zipped up the pavement. In a flash of brakes and twisting metal, the Cybertronian slid to a halt and flipped into the air over the edge of the black asphalt. Mid-flight, the newcomer finished his transformation to land perfectly on the grass. To the sudden silence after an orchestra of noise, Sideswipe bowed to his audience.

Shay snorted and slow clapped before stating blandly, "Bravo Sideswipe." His brother merely tossed his optics skyward to mimic a human eye roll.

"Why thank you milady. Doth her majesty still be troubled by a virus?" An old English accent rolled off his glossa as his twin swung at him with a heavy fist before stomping inside the open door of the building to put his drawing away. Shay sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. Ever since last week when she'd caught them acting out Hamlet, Sides had taken to speaking to her like such at random times. Of course, the human had to point out that Cybertronian swears didn't belong in a sixteenth century play.

"What? What did I say wrong?" clueless, the frontliner turned to look down at her. She shook her head. Even a stranger could have picked up on the jealousy coming from Sunstreaker.

"You're supposed to greet him first Sideswipe."

A flicker in his optics "Oh." 'Finally he gets it,' she thinks. Striding towards their makeshift hideout, Sides poked his horned helm inside and called out in a cheerful and singsong manner, "Suuuunnnnyyyyyy! I wwwuuuuuuuvvvveeee yooouuuuu!" An empty paint can sailed past his carnelian frame to bang and clatter out onto the parking lot before stopping at the opposite side.

_Amusement. Forgiveness._

The bot cackled at his twin's reaction and then plopped down on the ground next to her. With a wary look, she shielded her tree before continuing to gently pull and push the branches in the right directions. His lips turned down in a pout, "You didn't answer my question."

Giving an involuntary cough, a scowl danced across her face. She changed the subject because she did not wanting to discuss her cold, "I'm the same as yesterday. And NOT dying. I'll assume nothing different happened on your drive?"

"Yeah," The pout deepened into a frown, "I don't like it."

Shay glanced up at the giant seated next to her and gave a helpless look as if to ask what she could do about it. The Twins couldn't easily get to her emotions and the woman couldn't stop getting theirs. Add on the fact that she would start to get sick within a few days of not being around them, and you had problems. The female was dead set on not letting that bone-chilling apathy have even a crack to grow in. Truthfully, she was afraid that if it started to come back then it wouldn't just be uncaring towards the people around her. What if it grew to the point that _she_ was the one hurting others without thought or conscious? There had to be a way to fix this mess.

"I know you don't like it. I don't either. But at least I can usually tell what is mine and not mine. As long as I don't start acting on your impulses, I believe the general populace is safe from another menace." He snickered and tugged at her braid until Shay slapped his servo away. Waving the tiny shears threateningly the woman grumbled, "I was serious. Sunstreaker!"

The call gained silence but they could hear the quieter of the two frontliners coming, "Your brother is going to lose his servo if he touches my tree again."

"Like that would stop him." A gruff reply as the bot joined them outside and leaned back against an oak.

Sideswipe waved a hand in the air to make a point, "But they need names. There's two, so you can name them after us." A lark twittered and flitted past the bot's helm, startling him. His twin vented in annoyance.

"I refuse to have a plant named after me."

"And it's _my_ tree Sideswipe. One tree with split trunks. This bonsai doesn't need a name, just a bigger pot." Shay muttered the last part and cut the last line of wire, checking things over to look for anything missed. Finally the red lambo stopped glaring at the offending avian and rested his chin in a palm, defeat written on his face.

"Okay okay. Anyways, we're seeing fireworks tonight. Prowl's still set on us going to Peru for a couple weeks 'cause the cons were spotted over there." Anxiety welled in the woman who wrapped up her supplies on the ground. Being away from the twins for long periods of time was not fun, they'd learned. Sideswipe noted the bad feelings and tried to rub her back reassuringly with a finger but she swatted his hand away again, face titled down so no one could see her expression.

The gold sport scar nodded, "But she's riding with you. I'm not having snot and other things sprayed on my insides."

"Um, excuse me? Who said I wanted to see fireworks? Do I get a say in whether I'm going?"

Mischief chirped a reply, "Nope."

"I'm sick. Staying out at night is going to make it worse." The woman stated dryly while picking her boots up from the grass to put them back on. A humongous grin split the more troublesome pit-spawn's faceplates.

"Aww, don't worry Shay. We'll make sure you stay warm. Besides, if you do get worse we'll take you to Ratchet."

_Shock_

Sunstreaker's helm whiplashed around, no longer staring idly at the scenery while they talked. Sapphire optics shifted into a paler shade of light cerulean, "What!? I thought you didn't want the others..."

"We're no closer to figuring this out." His twin shrugged red shoulder pads while Shay looked back and forth between the two, "Maybe the Doc can help. What else are we going to do now?" They stared at each other with disgruntlement stamped on their silvery faces. Rough hands ghosting around the edge of the ceramic dish, Shay herself didn't speak up to voice her opinion. It wasn't in her nature to tell personal things to strangers or show weakness. But the Twins knew the other Ark inhabitants better than she. If Sideswipe and Sunstreaker thought they could be trusted, then the woman would go along with it. She didn't know how to fix this and she was tired of an aching chest every other week when the Twins were busy on missions or fighting Decepticons.

Sunstreaker nodded and that was apparently all that was being said on the matter. Standing, Shay carried her tree back to it's spot just outside the smaller non-accessible human door. Another trip and the woman was putting the spool of aluminum back into her backpack, "Are the fireworks late at night? I do have work tomorrow."

That got her some funny looks. Sideswipe flopped back onto the lawn and groaned while his brother half glared, "Workaholic. You're going to make yourself worse."

"Suuuuuunnnnyyyyy! Don't talk like that! You sound like the medic."

A snarl given to his twin, "I do not!"

The human rolled her eyes and called out, "You didn't answer my question."

"It's not too late," Sideswipe huffed but didn't get up, "Why do you have to?" "Someone just likes working. Pain in the aft." the other bot tagged on.

Shay planted her hands on her hips while still holding the shears, "It's just a small cold and humans have to eat. Arrogant prick." She tossed at Sunstreaker.

"Suicidal moron."

"Vain glitch." She stomped into the building and started to rummage through the video game pyramid that was starting to lean over. Boys couldn't keep things clean to save their lives. The bots flopped onto the couch while Shay valiantly tried to fix the mess. Sunny leaned over to pluck one of the plastic cases from her hands.

"Con bait."

"Pit spawn."

"Most awesome Autobot warrior ever." Sunstreaker and Shay gave Sideswipe a look with narrowed eyes and optics as he grabbed a large controller and leaned back lazily, "What? As long as we're describing ourselves."

The other two just shook their heads and the woman settled back against the foot of the couch to watch their game. Soon enough taunts and exclamations filled the warehouse as Sunny and Sides tried to beat each other's kill scores on Halo. The warm wind that blew in from outside the open cargo doors made Shay sleepy. 'I better enjoy this while it lasts,' she thought, 'Those couple of weeks without them is going to be hell'. Smiling lightly at the excited and competitive emotions sliding from the Autobots, she drifted.

Hours later that same sun induced warmth flashed and glinted in evening rays. Weaving through traffic, the show-offs blasted 'Highway to Hell' at top volume with their windows down as they headed out of town towards what Sunstreaker promised was the best spot to watch the fireworks. Shay laughed and sang along to the the lyrics before turning her face next to the window and closing her eyes. She loved the feeling of wind. Her ride wiggled a bit in elation at making her laugh (no easy feat) and sped up.

Soon enough they were out of traffic and farther out near a tree and grass ridden plot of land that centered a brick building with a low wall surrounding the front and sides. The sign proclaimed it to be a restaurant although it appeared deserted. A padlock held the gate closed.

"Oh no. We are not breaking in there... Guys!" Shay yelped as Sideswipe transformed and held her in his servo. Carrying the startled human, he climbed over the wall after his brother. She hissed at them, "This is not legal!"

"Quit whining." the amber lambo snorted.

His twin tried to reassure her as he set her down on the cobblestone, "This place is only open in summer. It's empty for another few weeks. And the fireworks will be right over there." The carnelian bot pointed to a nearby treeline as fading slivers of golden orange started to slip away behind distant hills and sparse buildings in the west. She just sighed and threw her hands up. No sense in arguing with them.

Studying the structure, the human found they were in a large open courtyard that easily held both the bots with room to run around. Tables and chairs were stacked neatly and covered with a heavy waterproof sheet under several awnings while tall shade umbrellas stood in their posts around the square. Niches in the walls were empty and hollow. Perhaps it looked cheerfully relaxing when cleaned up, but right now the entire place just seemed dull and old with a few sprouts of crab grass trying to eat their way along the wall.

"But why did we have to come here?"

Grinning proudly, Sideswipe pulled out several boxes from his subspace to display them with a pleased but devilish expression, "Firecrackers!"

Oh brother.

"We're far enough out that no one will bother us. And if you sit on the roof you'll have a good seat for the show." Sunstreaker added in idly as he tried to snag a few red strands of explosives from the other bot and missed as Sideswipe danced back. The shadows lengthened slowly and darted across the ground as the sun sank lower.

"Nooooooo Miiiiiiiinnnnneeee! Get your own!"

With a foot the red Autobot nudged an unopened box towards his brother. Giving up on taking his twin's, the gold one grabbed some and started to unwinding a reel. Shay just shook her head and sat down to watch. 'Boys.' she thought with amusement, 'Always wanting cool toys to play with.'

Out loud the woman muttered, "You guys are such kids."

"We're older than humanity," Sullen retorted and then the brothers proceeded to set off their firecrackers with some sort of lighter. Pops and crackles sounded as the explosives flared brightly in the evening and lit up glimmering rays on the darkening carnelian and golden armor. Shay lurched a little and leaned away but the frontliners just whooped and proceeded to run around waving the fiery strings. Laughs and shouts of excitement made Shay smile, watching them act silly in the twilight. And then a sneeze.

"Dangit." she muttered before fetching a tissue from her pocket to blow her nose. Peering up again revealed Mischief standing over her with a smile true to his name and an unlit strand of miniature explosives.

"Want to try, milady?"

A rapid head shake, "Noooooo thank you. I would like to keep my hand." Another series of crackles as Sunny lit a new batch and flung them into the sky that was rapidly drawing towards navy blue. The sparking flares whirled up into the darkness, spitting and flashing the whole way. Sideswipe shoved some sparklers into her hands. Chill air brushed against her face as he moved, bringing with it the faintest pungent tang of burning things.

"Sides... What am I supposed to do with these?" The woman blinked up at him and gripped the metal sticks hesitantly.

The bot stared owlishly, "Are you telling me you've never played with sparklers?"

Pursed lips as the crickets joined the bullfrogs in harmony and even Sunstreaker paused to gawk at her. "Of course I have, but I was a kid."

"Light them and run around, moron." Sunny butted in before climbing over the wall to the lawn on the other side where there was more room.

"Don't call me a moron."

"Then stop acting like an idiot." he retorted.

She looked back and forth before taking a regular gas station lighter that was offered from the carnelian twin. Hesitantly she burned the top of her sparklers. Once hissing sparks, the female stood there uncertainly until Sideswipe made a grab for her with his huge servos. Shay dodged with a yelp and started running.

"What the hell?! What happened to the rules you idiot!? No picking me up without permission!" Bolting between his legs, the woman ran around the stacked and covered benches. Continuing to race around in circles while still carrying the burning sticks, her snarls turned into chuckles and then laughter as she evaded clumsy snatches. He was going easy and she knew it, but that was alright. Eventually she waved the sparklers in loops and whirls as she eluded Sideswipe.

And then the last sparkler died down, "Nuts." 'What kind of sparklers where these?' she wondered. When she was younger you were lucky if they lasted even a full minute where these had lasted five or six.

The sigh turned into a surprised 'eeep!' as the Autobot scooped her up and deposited the human on the other side of the wall with Sunstreaker. "Don't worry! I got a ton of these." Sideswipe exclaimed before handing her more.

"Dare I ask who was stupid enough to give or sell these to you?" Dry sarcasm.

Sunny snorted, his plating now appearing burnt copper in the half light, "No."

And then he lunged for her. Spitting out some words about certain bots parentage, Shay dashed around and used the more cheerful twin as a shield so the other couldn't catch her. He was most definitely not going as easy as Sideswipe had been. Dodging footsteps, giant hands, and lightly quivering ground; the three played a strange game of 'everyone for themselves' tag until Sunny lit more firecrackers. The brothers started tossing the explosives back and forth like dodge ball while Shay sat down to catch a breather. A cough came out as she panted. It was probably not a good idea to do this running around when she had a cold. Breathing in the cold night air, she smiled at the stars appearing above. It was fully dark now.

"BOOOM."

Distant cracks accompanied by a loud rumble had Shay jerking around in surprise. The Twins froze, firecrackers dropped as they half raised their blasters drawn from subspace. A burst of red light showered in the sky. Sideswipe relaxed and snickered, "Fireworks are starting."

This time she kept watch of him so it wasn't a shock when he carefully picked her up and set her on the copper shingled roof. Leather boots slid a little until she found a good position that kept her level with the Twin's helms. The brothers leaned back against the brick and faced Northwest as another rocket whistled through the pitch sky to break into a pink and emerald green flower like explosion. They watched in silence even when Shay started to shiver from the cold. She refused to complain and ruin it but the red twin handed her a wool blanket anyways. Even the native wildlife grew quiet as the colors lit up the sky.

Riots of blues and greens; crimson red and pinks of fuchsia and rose draped the starry tapestry while fireflies started their own show near the ground. Piercing cries signaled more explosives launched as pops and tinny booms shot through the night. Smoke tinged the clean air in a haze that hovered just over the treeline. Within seconds, plumes of falling stars and lone shots colored the black. A square, island blue circles, burgundy fading to magenta explosions. Shay whistled quietly at the display as the last few streaks of light ended their burning journey and fell back to earth as blackened ash.

They waited a moment more and when none came, the woman murmured quietly, "That was beautiful."

"Haha!" Sideswipe laughed and smiled at her, denta flashing in the dark, "Just wait till the fourth of July! Wheeljack's gonna help with those!"

At the woman's confused look Sunstreaker shrugged by way of explanation, "He's good with explosives. Those will be much better."

"Did you guys have fireworks on Cybertron?" A slow question. The Twins were a bit odd when talking about their home planet. Half the time they avoided the subject like the plague and then later they would go and boast about all the wonderful things that used to be there. Things that didn't exist on Earth and might never come to be here. Understanding kept her from asking about the planet too often. Memories hurt.

Sideswipe answered softly, "Nah. Explosions were never really considered art. The idea of making them different colors... You humans are creative." A nod of agreement from his twin which surprised her.

A brief respite to sit in the night and listen to cricket chirps before Mischief shoved the conversation in a new direction, "Who wants to use the rest of the firecrackers?"

But the smile and question died on his lips as plating and cables froze. Shay felt dread starting to rise as Sunstreaker stilled as well. The human desperately wanted to ask what was going on but had enough sense to stay quiet. As the bullfrogs and night bugs continued their singing, a distant sound of turbines and engines joined in.

Unease turned into an frown upon her face as she looked up confused. Who would fly right after fireworks had been set off? An internal thought before the Twins moved. In one sweep, Sunny had snatched her from the roof and pushed her through the restaurant doors that his brother had broken the handles off of. Tension, alarm, and something akin to excitement but not joyful, skittered from them to her. Sideswipe shoved the wood and glass paneled entrance way closed.

"Guys?!"

"Stay in there. Don't come out till we say!" Sides called and then moved away. Without his imposing form just in sight, the woman felt vulnerable and quickly moved through the cobwebbed dining area to the kitchen farther back.

Like a cavern yawning open to swallow her, it was nearly pitch black save for the tiniest bit of reflective light seeping in through the locked windows to glance off dust laden work-spaces and sinks. She set the blanket on one of the counters and held very still to listen. Outside was near silent until a sound echoed. 'What was that?'

Another indistinguishable noise, and then a crash. Shouts and tiny shocks of ground quakes as something big and heavy hit the building. Her heart sped up in fear. Shay hadn't brought her slingshot, not having a reason too. And now she was regretting it. Not that glass balls could do anything but annoy whatever was out there. The dishrack by one of the sinks shook and fell to the linoleum floor with a loud clatter as another tremor reverberated. Frantically yanking open cabinets, Shay snarled at the anger starting to tinge her view. She needed a weapon, no matter how ineffective. Anything was better than nothing.

'Where, where, WHERE?!' Desperately peering into the cupboards, the human finally opened one to find a gleaming row of knives sitting so perfectly and neatly placed. She reached to grab one of the bigger blades but paused when a shadow flickered across the floor. Something was behind-

Glass shattered inward and she screamed in sheer panic as an onyx servo reached in through the window to grasp her tightly around the middle. For half a second her mind saw the color and shouted '_Sideswipe!'_ while the rest of her screeched _'Not Sideswipe!'_ Sunstreaker had yellow servos like his armor. His brother had black, but those digits ended in almost rounded tips, not razor sharp points that pricked her skin like these ones. And the plating armor was all wrong.

It dragged her out through the hole, past broken glass and shattered brick until the woman was once more outside under the night sky. Only this time, in the hands of a Decepticon.

Sharp metal restricting her lungs made it hard to breath. An unfamiliar dark face smiled triumphantly down at her with a maniacal sharp grin and glittery red optics. That smile screamed 'predator!', all claws and teeth with the expression that reminded one of hyenas circling around a kill. Shay coughed but didn't bother to struggle uselessly. Instead, the woman swung her head wildly, looking for her twins.

The combatants paused when the dark purple and black seeker held up his prize, "Look what I found!" A skrittish voice called out. Strangely, it didn't hold the malice she had expected, only victorious glee. Still, the female shuddered as her eyes locked on the lamborghinis.

Sunstreaker was only an arm's length away from another con, appearing navy blue and a monochrome shade. Perhaps gray? It was probably lighter but color was hard to determine in the dark. Red striping gleamed in the soft light although the form distorted where one of his wings had been torn, bent at a sharp angle. Star shine, a few errant flames, and the glow of pale cerulean and crimson optics was the only light to see by. The golden frontliner was settled into a fighting position facing the right half of the winged Cybertronian with servos up and ready to pummel, body held at a loose and almost lazy stance. Flecks of glittery pink liquid splashed here and there on his frame only added to the painful looking dent that deformed the right side of his hood. Lips were curled up as he bared his denta.

His brother held a blaster level to the con while ignoring his own scratches and dents leaking fluid. The jet held a thin but long gun to Sideswipe, similar to a pistol with an extended barrel. She noted with trepidation that Sideswipe was grinning ferally. All of them had their engines revving in anger.

She needed to remember that the Twins were Autobot warriors, ones that could tear someone apart with ease given the chance. It kept slipping from her mind that they were friends, but not tame ones. Mountain lions that hunted prey, not lackadaisy house cat. No matter how often they acted like it. Optics shifted away from the standoff as her captor shouted, felines baring their teeth at the hyena's cackle. Scorching blue light turned a near bright white in the depths of their eyes.

_Rage. Possessive. __Back off._

Anger coursed through her veins to war with adrenaline, terror, and the rising thoughts that she was going to be in pain soon. More so than the aching around her middle. She better not get any more cracked ribs, damnit. Sunstreaker bared his denta and hissed with a furious engine roar, his brother doing the same and Shay clenched her hands. These cons were threatening the twins.

Flickers of violence and red edged around her vision. Stupid glitches were pissing her off. She wanted to tear them apart... 'Wait,' the woman told herself, 'Why am I so angry...? I'm supposed to be scared.' The line had blurred between what was the human's emotions and the feelings pouring out of the bots. Internally she chanted to herself that she was not angry, breath coming out heavy and rasping. No, not at all angry, a little human couldn't do anything. Staying calm was best. The fact that a weapon was being pointed toward _hers_ didn't help. Threats. They were threats. Shay had to make sure no one threatened...

"Hey! That's ours!" Sideswipe snarled and pulled back just a little from the bluish flier.

Shay growled and struggled to reign in the rising fury. Moving slowly, the jet stepped backwards around a wood bench that had caught fire and retreated to his teammate's side. The Twins edged haltingly forward but stopped when the purple jet squeezed and the human coughed in the smokey air.

"Really? Well, you should take better care of your pet Autobot." On went the childish voice of her captor. The woman hissed in rage and contemplated the best ways to kill the Decepticon. Ripping out the chest sounded nice. "I Am Not A Pet!"

And then she would have face palmed if her arms hadn't been pinned to her sides. How could she have said that out loud?! Stupid stupid stupid... 'Calm down!' a mental order that really didn't do anything.

"Yeah, she's our mascot!" Sideswipe added. Shay felt the itch to facepalm again. Mascot?! A quick look at the other twin only revealed intent and deadly focus on the jets.

Growls echoes from the amber Autobot at the same time that snarls curled from her lips and hands twitched in pent up anger, "Can't you go home, enjoy some energon and plotting. And then come back tomorrow to kill each other?!"

The jet who had remained silent until now gave her a bland look while still keeping his blaster trained on the Autobots. In a deeper timbre then his friend her remarked, "Scornful little thing, isn't it?"

That was it. She was tired, sick, and absolutely furious. 'How Dare They... Stupid Threats...' Deep rumbles resounded from her throat. It felt like her heart was too heavy and about to burst from the pressure. Threats, the stupid freaking jets were threats and they needed to die. She didn't care how as long as they were gone. Sideswipe's optics flickered towards her momentarily before returning to the enemy as he noted her emotions seeming to take on a more predatory tint. Her mind hazed.

"Scornful Little Thing Is Going To- Achoo Achoo!" Cutting off whatever she had been about to say, the woman sneezed. Twice. Right on the hand holding her.

Screeching in shock and disgust, the violet con flung her up into the air. The woman drew her limbs in on reflex and squeezed terrified eyes shut as wind rushed past her ears in a fearful pitch. For one second she seemed to pause suspended, a leaf held up by the air beneath it. And then the tumbling organic form crashed downward. Muffled shouts, a crash, noises that she'd never heard before. It didn't occur to Shay to wonder what it was. It didn't occur to her that she was about to die.

A cut off landing as the small body hit with a jarring 'thump'. Shock had taken over her mind but fled as conscious thoughts returned. Air wheezed out of her lungs until she gasped it back in and cracked open one pale eye. Dark coppery metal obscured her view until the bot twisted and slung her. Ground reached up to grab the female again as Shay skidded and rolled across the rock and pavement, stopping gently up against one of the courtyard walls. Sunstreaker glanced at her swiftly to note the human's condition before letting loose a bone-chilling war cry and leaping into the fray after his brother. Covering her ears with slightly bleeding hands did nothing to distill the effects of the deafening sound and the woman shivered at the primal tone that promised pain without mercy.

Stumbling up on shaking legs, she noted that she was most definitely bruised now but her head seemed clearer. Firmly resolving to ignore the rage spiraling in from the Twins, the woman hissed at the road rash across her arms and edged away from the fire sneaking it's way around the property. Heat made the torn layer of flesh sting as it brushed by. A tremor as one of the Decepticons crashed backward from Sideswipe's punch and nearly landed on her. Oh no, she was not getting stepped on and no cons were grabbing her again. Being a rag-doll once was enough.

Now playing a much more dangerous game of 'Don't get caught', Shay lunged away from the wrestling giants and tried extremely hard to avoid the footsteps that cracked the ground beneath in small craters. The smoke seemed to get thicker by the second and another itching cough had her cover her mouth as she took refuge behind a large chunk of brick wall, now shattered and free from the rest of it's battered body. Metal on shrieking metal crashes tore through the air as a dissonant hum filled the atmosphere around them and her captor disappeared in the blink of an eye. Only to reappear right behind the carnelian lambo with a knife hanging above his helm. The female's shout fell heavy from her lips as the blade swung and missed, Sideswipe whirling around to dodge and take a pot shot at the blue one. Her back ached, although she couldn't recall actually hurting it besides the fall and bruising. A hand covered her stinging nose even though she couldn't smell the toxic air. Flames found unused firecrackers at their feet and burst into flares of yellow light, loud pops and bangs adding to the din. Gray clogged clouds hung just above all their heads and the smoke seemed to reflect the muted and violent glow back down on all of them, a curtain cutting them off from the rest of the world. Or perhaps trapping them in there.

It was a murky battlefield and Shay was having trouble getting good oxygen into her lungs without hacking and coughing. She tried to move closer to the wall but the haze had worsened to the point that she could only tell where the Cybertronians were by the curses and blaster fire. In a sudden sweep, the golden frontliner brushed the air to the side as he crashed right past her crouched form and into the quieter jet. The sudden rush of a breeze cleared the smoke enough for her to see most of the courtyard for a few seconds.

Sideswipe with his gun firing at a rapidly vanishing and reappearing violet monstrosity, burgundy eyes staring psychotically through fire and shadows. A large wound decorated the blood-colored plating on the Autobot's back. Tongues of flame licked up the brick to grasp at wood poles and trellises, searching for anything burnable. Ashes rained down as the blue-ish flier managed to bash Sunstreaker in the knee with a pistol and then blast the left shoulder joint using the guns on his arms. Twinges ran across her shoulder and left knee as the woman's eyes caught sight of what she hadn't been able to see before: a hole in the wall.

The falling gray residue dusted her hair and shoulders as Shay scrambled up and toward the exit. Howls and smashing sounds filled the night as the haze rushed back in, peppered by red glows. Boots thunked and banged on stone as the woman heaved herself up over a loose chunk and over clattering loose shards. Bright sparks danced and winked above before disappearing. She had wanted to see fire tonight but not this kind.

"Autobot Scum!" A shriek to her right and she spun to see a giant shadow in the smoke, far too close to her.

For a second, Shay had the insane thought that it was a dream. The woman had certainly dreamed scarier things. The Twins had never gotten hurt and put in a spark container, she hadn't traveled half-way across the country by herself and avoided Decepticons, she hadn't made a really stupid choice and fled, the Twins never forgave her. She wasn't in a scene from nightmare. None of it was real.

But one of the figures in the smoke screamed in pain and crashed down, only a couple yards away and the clay and sediment mixture cracked around the human, tiny pebbles showering her skin. Shay snapped out of it with a snarl and shoved away the rogue emotions of fury. Now was _not_ the time for stupid things. 'Wake up!' the female berated herself and jumped down to land on all fours in the grass. Lungs heaved and ached from all the day's abuse as she stumbled and half ran for a copse of trees standing tall by the road. Skittering to their trunks, her hands shook as she knelt down in the dark. Looking back showed heavy smoke rising in plumes and humongous shadows moving here and there from within. It seemed to be a gate from hell that had opened and spat out demons to fight each other.

Her breath rasped quietly as flickers of pain tiptoed up her chest and right arm. Aggressive and sharp thoughts started to fill her head again as she thought about going back in. Her bots were in danger...

No, no. That would only cause more trouble. Sunstreaker and Sideswipe could take care of themselves. They knew much more about fighting than she. Little humans couldn't really do anything but get in the way.

_Anger. Exhilaration._

Oh joy, the twins liked to fight. Why wasn't she surprised?

After a moment or two of waiting and watching the scene with rising dread, the commotion died down. Worry turned to fear when it fell silent, but all the human could feel from the Twins was irritation and oddly, satisfaction. The twisting sounds of transformation that was like nothing else heard on this planet echoed and two jets shot out of the dark cloud to disappear above into darkness. One with a mangled wing and wobbly course. A dark red titan leaped out next with his lighter colored twin on his heels. For one second, Shay had the crazy thought that they were the cons, even though the jets had left. The female was going to blame all of tonight's crazy ideas on shock.

No, the snarling and dangerous looking frontliners weren't cons, they were her bots. A heavy sigh left her body and muscle tension relaxed as both looked over at her and stalked closer. On shaky limbs, Shay stood.

"Hi Shay, you're eyes are really pale." Sideswipe sounded normal, as if they were discussing the weather. Was that a good or bad thing? She licked her lips and tasted ash, bitter.

A huff from her, "So are both of yours. You guys are a mess by the way. And I already know I am too."

Dents and scratches marred what had been glossy and smooth only an hour ago, a fuzzy gray layer coating them from top to bottom with splotches of sludgy energon here and there. Shorn wires and a couple dripping tubes poked out of a hole in Sunstreaker's shoulder like a doll that someone had hacked at with scissors. His twin absently rubbed at the softly glowing light pink liquid dripping down just under his right audio horn while speaking to her. Fresh wounds bled shallowly from his chest and Sunstreaker's right leg.

"Good job getting outta there. It's hard to fight when you gotta watch civilians." An easy grin spread as he crouched to check her over and Sunstreaker added on, "But you still took your time about it."

Her frown turned deepened into the scores of her face as she ran deft fingers over Sideswipe's armor, taking in all the busted bits of metal and cracked glass on his front stained with ashes and Cybertronian blood. Swiftly, she focused on the other one, studying all the damage whilst trying to determine how serious it was. Sunstreaker's knee looked bad and yet he was still walking on it. At least it all appeared to be there, save for a hole in the growly bot's shoulder. But nothing looked shredded. That was good. "How badly are you injured? Did you win?" Coughs interrupted the latter part of her statement as she bent over and tried to catch her breath.

"We did of course!"

"It was a draw." The normally yellow Autobot corrected with a growl of annoyance, "We're too close to our base. They knew the others would show up soon."

"You didn't answer my first question...!" Shay was cut off as Sideswipe carefully examined her arms and then stood, "Time to go girl. I hear sirens."

The woman didn't hear anything but suddenly Sunstreaker lifted her before she could protest and transformed. In the blink of an eye, a gold hand let go and she landed with an 'oomph' in the passenger seat. Surprised, the human stared at the dashboard and then slowly put on the seat belt as the lamborghini spun his tires and took off after the red hellion. In seconds they were speeding and bounding down the empty road to leave the flaming partially destroyed structure behind. This was odd. It was the first time he'd given her a ride. As the night whipped by in a blur of cracked headlights, her ride turned the heat on. Shay hadn't even realized she was shivering. Still in shock maybe? How did one determine if one was in shock? She didn't know.

He grumbled, "The only reason I'm doing this is because Sides is hurt more and _you're_ not straining those injuries."

"Glad to know you love me buttercup." Mischief's voice came out of Sunstreaker's speakers. The angrier bot roared his engine, although the human thought she heard a painful ting in there. A heavy wriggly feeling started low in her stomach. "You didn't tell me how bad it is." The woman stated.

"It only looks bad." Sideswipe replied easily, "We'll bang out the dents. And if worse comes to worse we'll just say we were wrestling and it got out of hand again."

"Again?"

"Uh..."

Shay chewed her lip and kept an eye out for other traffic on the winding road, "Why did they attack, those two jets?"

A snarling rev thundered out from beneath Sunstreaker's hood in an answer, "They were bored."

"Probably Skywarp. Thundercracker doesn't usually cause that much trouble." His twin argued.

"Usually. Never can tell with cons."

They slowed and pulled over as a firetruck blared close by. In the dim lighting, Shay could see the dents on Sideswipe's back end as he idles just in front of them. Seconds passed and the emergency vehicle zipped by whirring at deafening levels the whole time. And then they were driving again, albeit much slower than usual. She felt really bad about the restaurant but places could be rebuilt, people couldn't. Not completely. "I'm helping patch you both up when we get to your warehouse."

"You don't know how to-"

"Don't Care!" The woman snarled, baring flat teeth and reacting on residual violence that still whispered at the edges of her mind, "You'll show me. I'll help. NO ARGUMENTS."

Silence before Sunstreaker once again broke it up, although quieter this time and more sulkish, "I told you you're con bait."

"And I said that you are a pain in the ass. Nobody's perfect." Sideswipe brayed laughter through his twin's speakers at her retort. Ahead, his back wheels slid a little on the road and out of shape frame bounced. A involuntary yawn as she paused before adding, "Thank you for catching me."

He didn't answer but she didn't expect him to. Crawling back to the safe house seemed to take forever as they avoided the more traveled main road through town and skirted the business district to pass under lamplights through quiet slumbering neighborhoods and small roads. Her head leaned against the window and Sunstreaker complained that she had who-knows-what-all in her hair and she owed him a wash. After a snappish agreement to mention it later, they fell quiet and just about reached the almost hidden little path that lead to safety. Before they turned onto there though, Sideswipe murmured something through Sunstreaker.

"You were really angry."

A tired and dazed blink from the human, "Hhmm?"

"When Skywarp had you. You've never felt like that before, except..." The grumpier twin picked up where Sideswipe left off, "Except for when we were in the spark container. You were furious."

"Oh," She sighed and closed drooping eyes. Her chest, back, and shoulder still hurt, although the leg wasn't too bad. Must have been from being squeezed and falling, "Some people tried to take you. I lost my temper."

"But we made you angry this time." Sideswipe led them up the pavement to the cargo doors and turned off his headlights, but didn't transform. His brother remained still as Shay looked out the window at the red sports car and then at Sunstreaker's dash.

Shay rubbed her face, "You started it. But those cons threatening you made it worse. And then you made it worse. It wasn't all your fault. You couldn't help that I would feel your anger."

Her ride vented and then opened the passenger door to let her out, cricket symphonies washing across her ears and calming her, "We need to fix this. I don't want to have to fight and worry about what emotions you're getting from us at the same time. It's too dangerous." Sunstreaker slowly transformed, metal creaking as he stood and helped Sideswipe to stand.

A mutter from the human as they opened the door and flicked on the lights. Her pupils shrunk at the suddenly blinding glare, "It seems to be the worst when I think you're being threatened."

"We're talking to the others." Sideswipe scrounged around the holding shelves for supplies, clumsy fingers knocking unimportant things out of the way, "I can't think of anything else to do."

Sunstreaker looked over at his brother with pinched expression and very old optics, "We'll talk to the others. After we get back from our mission." He stated with finality.

* * *

Music: Halou- Honeythief

.

.

.

Sorry Skywarp, she wasn't trying to sneeze on you. Maybe Shay is allergic to Decepticons?

And holy Primus, this is my biggest chapter yet!


	23. Chapter 23

Slightly pointed black digits tapped against the desk in a staccato rhythm of thoughtfulness before the owner of those fingers spoke, "Hey Bee?"

"Sir?" The yellow and black minibot looked up from the report he was finishing and about to turn in.

"I've a mission for ya."

Curious blue optics widened as the bot tilted his helm, "Oh? What kind sir?"

"The unofficial kind."

A steady beat of ting after ting as the visored mech seemed to study the messy stack of datapads on his desk as if they held the answers to the universe. Although the other bot knew his thoughts were most likely somewhere far away and definitely scheming. Bumblebee's expression shifted into cheerfulness as the tiniest bit of sarcasm entered his tone, smile growing.

"My favorite then."

Unbeknownst to the mechs, somewhere quite a few miles away was someone else tapping their fingers. Although these were lightly bandaged and the pulse was one of slowing draining patience. Short and ragged fingernails clacked almost noiselessly against limestone as Shay sighed and looked around before slumping. Late. They were late, but then again it wasn't that much of a surprise. Sideswipe had said it would be difficult for them to sneak away at the right time.

Wind had started to pick up, dancing along the tall prairie-like grass and brushing back the long strands of dusty brown hair that peaked out from beneath her gray irish cap. One could see for miles on the rock outcropping she sat upon. A slight twisting on her insides and the woman stood as the sounds of engines and transformation reached her ears.

Turning, she watched silently as two distant figures swiftly headed toward her. Gold and red in the dim mid-day light, what appeared to be small quickly became giants in her view. They looked much better than they had a few days ago, broken and scorched plating hammered out and repainted. Shay had quickly learned how to use a welder at a very early hour in the morning and had burns on her fingers for the trouble. A crash course in Cybertronian anatomy wasn't something that one should learn when sleep deprived but there had been little choice. After all the serious things had been tended to, the Twins had made a quick trip to their medic with the excuse of a wrestling match gone out of hand. But nothing had been questioned and now they were alright. But only for today. Tomorrow would be different.

"Hi." A quiet murmur as they strode up the easy incline to sit next to her. Sunstreaker grumbled.

"Got here soon as we could." He glanced up at the darkening sky and the heavy mass of rainclouds gathering in the West. The human caught the object of his gaze and waved a hand to reassure him as his twin swung his legs over the drop.

"The storm hasn't passed yet- Sideswipe!" The red bot leaned over to blow a strong gust of air out of his vents and right at the woman, causing her hair to flare out like a lion's mane and hat to skitter into the green waves around them. "Damn it Sides! That is my favorite hat."

She snarled at her friend's chuckle and stomped over to retrieve the cap. A quick snap to free if of any unwanted passengers of the insect variety and then Shay yanked it back onto her head, rim tilted down to almost cover her eyes.

A chuff from the red bot, "I thought that was your only hat."

"Hence why it is my favorite."

Sunstreaker grew bored and scooped her up to deposit her back into her spot before leaning over to flick his brother on the helm. Rolling her eyes, Shay watched wave after wave of green blades rippling under darkening skies. A distant thunderclap.

Shivers as a chill breeze brushed against her skin and almost lifted the cap away again. The human stuffed it in the old worn pack at her feet and scooted closer to the carnelian hellion. A sigh rattled it's way out from under Sunny's hood, "You're too easy to rile up."

"And your brother is too easily amused." She replied as the lambo in question shrugged and gave an innocent grin as if to say 'who me?'. They watched the storm move closer. A strange look crossed the less cheerful bot's face. He nudged his brother through their bond. Sideswipe frowned in return before nodding. The woman sitting in the middle noticed the silent conversation but chose to ignore it, having found through experience that they would talk when they wanted to and not a moment sooner. Finally the carnelian pit-spawn tapped his foot against the dirt cliff side and spoke.

"So, Skyfire's taking us over with some others in a couple hours." Shay remained unmoving, already knowing this as they'd discussed it before, "And we'll be gone roughly two weeks. It depends really... Just regular stuff, ya know? Check out the area, scare off the cons, save the world in our spare time..."

A snort blew out of her nose as Sideswipe wiggled his optic ridges and Sullen huffed in mock indignation, "Are you saying we can't save the world?"

Mouth curling up slightly Shay replied, "I do believe you would be more likely to prank the entire continent." The red twin muttered a quiet 'true' as Sunstreaker continued, although more seriously this time.

"Don't do anything stupid."

"I usually don't." A dry reply. Light strands of hair whipped around her face as she turned back towards the sounds of thunder.

Apparently he disagreed, deep sky optics narrowing as his mouth became a thin line. Sunstreaker's armor shifted to flare out just slightly before settling and they fell silent. In the stifling humid air a zing of electricity danced out of the roiling gray mass that had taken on a greenish tint. An accompanying crack followed soon after as the indescribable scent of rain brushed over them gently. Flashes of pale purple illuminated the towering cloud columns in quick bursts. Distantly, a rippling sheet of water fell like a curtain to cover the earth. Flattening the grasses below, the oncoming storm roared out mother nature's cry and the echoing booms bound from the edges of the plain.

"You'll be okay without us." Sideswipe phrased it like a statement, optics trained above, "Two weeks is a lot longer than a few days..."

Shay responded as if it had been a question, "I'll survive. It can't be worse than several months."

"Famous last words."

She rolled her eyes at the golden lambo's statement before scooting closer to the edge and dropping jean-clad legs over to swing next to theirs, "I'll keep my head down, stay out of trouble, and most likely hole up at the warehouse. Being around others will just make me miserable anyways."

A frustrated puff vented from the red bot on her right. Sideswipe looked at his twin with a frown but the barest rise of Sunny's shoulder pads in a shrug was the only response. He didn't have an answer or solution. Cerulean optics closed and his brother followed suit.

Barely there sprinkles of water peppered their outer armor as wind whipped her hair back in strong gusts. The giant on her left unshuttered his optics to watch the atmosphere's unusual coloring and vented a pleased sigh. Shay wasn't sure which one of them did it first but one wall dropped, an ocean of feelings sweeping through her followed closely by a second. Her heart jumped a beat at the unexpected emotions but settled again quickly while she watched the electrical currents shatter down from above.

_Warmth. Awe. Worry._

The human pushed her own self out to them. If they were dropping their guards then so would she.

_Fragile Hope. Happy. Worry... __It will be okay?__ Guilt. __Sorrysorrysorry._

Swirling rampant emotions collided and tangled around each other.

_Forgiveness. Hope. __We'll be alright._

It wasn't words, not defined enough. Just emotions and vague ideas brushing against one another like clouds billowing out. Sideswipe titled his helm and laughed along with the thunder. The feeling echoed in his twin and through the female, held just behind her teeth and coming out of her lips as a breathless chuckle. 'What a pretty storm.' she thought. Or maybe it was the Autobots. Perhaps it was all of them.

_Fun. Nice. Warmth. Joyjoyjoy. Happy_

For a few moments it was hard to tell which thought belonged to whom, edges of self-awareness blurring, pale optics and eyes studying the oncoming weather with fascination. Lost in the twisting sensations that lit up her insides, Shay forgot she was Shay. The female just _was._ Enough of a distinctive presence and a vague feeling entwining with that which was Sunstreaker and Sideswipe, Sullen and Mischief.

_Other_

That feeling was most definitely originating from Sullen, although it was copied by his brother. She responded through whatever strangeness that bound her to them, a chiming sound to their tolling call. Adrift in the pulsating mass, Shay felt very distant from her body. Streaks of bright light, wind and water in the air rebounding off her skin, musky and wet earth smells all as if they were happening to someone else. Rumbles above, in harmony with the steady hum sounding from within the two people next to her.

Finally, the storm started to move away. The twins pulled back, walls forming again to block enough so as to limit their influence on her own emotions. Shay sighed and shook at the chill air that hadn't been noticed until now. Softly glowing eyes blinked up at them as the woman shakily stood and pulled her hat back onto her frizzing hair. The three stayed at the edge of the thunderstorm and rock cliff for a moment more before standing. Joints creaked and tires spun lazily as Sideswipe picked her up.

Too content to really protest, Shay mumbled, _**"I feel like we're on borrowed time."**_

_**"Don't worry. We'll deal with it, little by little."**_ Her ride reassured her in twin speak. The human glanced at Sunstreaker with a look that said 'keep your idiot twin alive'. Giving a huff in return, the golden frontliner rattled his armor to get off the gathering water droplets and rumbled quietly.

_**"We'll all be fine."**_

* * *

"Dang..." Sideswipe murmured, "That tree's wider than one of us!"

He stared in childlike awe at the massive trunk of the mahogany, branches reaching so far above any of their helms. Is this what humans felt like when under trees, so tiny? Shrilling whoops tempered with watery clatters sounded from the canopy.

Brawn put his servos on his hips and puffed up, "I bet I could climb it."

"NO!"

A resounding negative from Hound and Beachcomber who were examining the tropical plant life. The jeep almost blended into the greenery around him but the stern look he sent was easy to see. "We must be very careful not to damage any of the native life. _All_ the species here depend on one another."

"Alright alright. No climbing trees. Yeesh." The yellow and grass colored mini-bot sighed, putting his hands up in surrender.

Heavy drips knocked against leaves above their helms and rain started to pour down on them. Sunstreaker growled in vexation and stomped forward through ferns and giant palms, the scent of wet earth and rot rising with every step. Looping whistles mocked all around them as they struggled farther in. Only Hound's footsteps were near silent as they moved through the bracken.

Sunstreaker was not a happy camper. The vain bot disliked the repeated rain showers and hadn't stopped complaining about what the excessive humidity and high temperatures were doing to his paint job. His twin hummed in agreement as they skirted a small stream and trundled along slowly, but found amusement in the fact that the snark and growls were only half sparked. Sunny might have hated exploring the outdoors, but the alien flora was interesting. And their optics could catch the sight of bright flowers and feathered avians above. Sideswipe couldn't hold back his grin when a particular blue and white orchid stole his brother's attention.

Sharp twitterings and chirps contested with distant caws and a repetitive woodpecker drilling that was starting to make Brawn antsy. None of the bots had realized just how loud the jungle was. At the very least, the two nature lovers were having fun. Beachcomber mimicked the birdsong and a few jewel speckled macaws looped down to twirl around them before disappearing into the leaves. Bugs far larger than they were used to kept scuttling across their path along with nearly invisible brown toads. Hound himself hadn't stopped smiling since Skyfire had dropped them off. Taking in the musky and sharp floral scents, the tracker tried to look at everything at once. Sideswipe as well found it a very interesting place, listening to all the calls that sounded like nothing ever heard on Cybertron. He murmured aloud although only his brother heard.

"It's like we're explorers..." Deep cackles made the group jump and peer hesitantly into the gloom. Only the jeep remained unfazed with Beachcomber relaxing soon after. Slowly the rain petered out.

Tangled vines caught against their metal armor and hindered their progress as the giants continued on. By the time mid-day had come and gone, their pace had slowed to a crawl due to the green bot stopping to look at every interesting thing. Finally Sunstreaker crossed his arms and snapped, "How much farther do we have to go? We've been walking all day."

"Not much farther, man. The natives said two days walk and we're making good progress." A soothing reply from the beach buggy as he checked the map he'd sketched out and his internal compass. Dealing with the native humans had been an experience, to say the least. They had been very wary of the alien's presence and had wanted them gone (along with the Decepticons) as soon as possible.

Thorned plants caught on the red frontliner's horned helm and wreathed his face as he struggled to detangle himself, "I don't get why all the way out here," He huffed, finally getting free, "I mean, it's so hard to get to."

Their heavy footsteps cracked dead wood and soft leaves underneath as Brawn answered, "Well maybe that's the point. If we can't get to them, we can't stop them."

"Yeah but they've got to be having trouble getting out here to." Interred the blue and white beach buggy, "There aren't any natural resources to make energon either."

"Could be solar panels."

Sunstreaker gave his brother a withering glare, "Solar panels. With all this rain?!"

"There is much more sunlight to be found on the plains or coast. But there's also more people," Hound pointed out thoughtfully, more focused on their surroundings and not the conversation.

Beachcomber paused to check the map and compass again, "We should be real close to where they were spotted."

Rumbling angrily at the mud started to work it's way into his ankle joints, Sunstreaker shoved past his brother and ignored the protest. Sighing, Sides followed after. Their navigator watched the Twins warily and tried to keep the frustration at bay.

"It really shouldn't take that lon-... oh." He jolted to a stop as his feet nearly slid into a tread track marking the ground before them.

The others grew silent as Hound crouched to study broken fronds trampled down without a care. Pulling out their blasters, Brawn and the Twins cautiously studied the shadows as if a con would jump out at any second. A piercing shriek farther in the gloom made them all twitch, the mini-bot's armor flaring aggressively. With a nod, the almost invisible tracker gestured which way to go. Carefully and as quietly as they could manage, the group followed Hound's light tread until bright rays pierced the air ahead. Stopping at the edge, just in the shadows, blue optics paled at what lay before them.

"Oh no..." Hound breathed in horror.

What should have been old forest trees and flourishing growth was now shredded earth, wood splinters piercing out from the mud. Half a football field's length of destruction, as if a tornado had touched down, stuck out like a sore thumb. In the middle a gaping pit spiraled down several yards before leveling off, only deep enough to come up to their hip joints. Tire tracks and treads smeared the barren ground.

"Well," Sideswipe's previously cheerful mood disappearing in the wake of frontliner readiness, "Now we got proof they're here."

Six days later and they hadn't caught the slagging glitch-rats. They'd roamed practically a third of the never-ending fragging jungle (or at least it felt like that much) and their rations were getting low. Moods soured with every destroyed patch of land they came across, which was a total of nine by now. Brawn glared at the waterfall to the left as they stopped for a two minute break.

"Are you _sure_ you know where we are? I swear I've seen that pool before."

Beachcomber sighed, having grown progressively quieter as they found more damage to the jungle, "Yes, I know where we are."

"It's time to send that report. Why don't we take a break?" Hound butted in before an argument could start. No one had any protests, so with relieved sighs they settled down on whatever was available. The mini-bot ignored the foot long millipede crawling across his lower legs while he sat on a rotted log. They'd long since gotten used to the creepy creatures and strange plant life. Even Sunstreaker had grown bored of complaining about the mud and water. The shorter blue and white naturalist went over to silently examine the semi-aquatic fauna while Hound pulled out a data pad to clean up their log. As the others flopped onto the forest floor to rest squeaking joints, the twins traded a glance and moved a little farther from the others.

Squishing themselves up against a thick clustering of what the nature bots called 'Brazil nut trees' they stretched their legs and shifted a bit. Why Brazil when they were in Peru? Sides had wondered. Humans had a strange way of naming things in his opinion. Sunstreaker pulled out a cord from his wrist and connected it to his twin while Sides opened a comm link channel. Static made both of them wince until he tuned it a little. Finally a ring.

'Ha! Take that human tech! My comm systems work even out in the jungle.' A smug crow until Sunny flicked his helm and then shooed a spiny rat away from getting to close. Both of them heard another ring and then someone on the other end pick up.

"Whatever it is, no." A low and rough voice snarled in exasperation.

A pout slid across his faceplates as Sideswipe answered through the comm and not aloud, "Hi honey, I love you too."

Choking noises and sputtering on the other end before Shay groaned, "Oh god shut up. Sideswipe, ever say that to me again and I'll slash your tires while you recharge."

"Awww, you miss us."

"No. Just your brother." The woman snipped back. Sunstreaker broke in using his link to the identical lambo, dry sarcasm masking any amusement he felt toward her comeback, "That was a really nice hello."

"Sorry. Thought you were Cassidy." Static breathed through the line as it was shifted. Optic ridges lowered in confusion as the Autobots traded confused and blank looks, but the human picked up on the silence and continued, "A friend from North Carolina. She wants me to move back."

"NO."

Simultaneous retorts. Even though the other Autobots couldn't hear the conversations they glanced over when the Twin's frames moved and hunched slightly. Beachcomber and Brawn shrugged, guessing the Twins were conversing with each other. Over the line, Shay rapidly agreed.

"Hey, I'm not going anywhere and I told her that, don't worry. What's the jungle like?"

Sideswipe grinned ferally, although he didn't miss the obvious topic change. After musing for a moment for where to start he replied, "There are giant rats, insects, carnivorous plants and spiders the size of your head. They're aggressive too. Keep hissing at me and stuff."

"Oh definitely." Shay agreed, tone showing how much she believed it.

A hard puff of mock indignation, "It's true! Tell her Sunny!"

"The spiders don't like Sides." Sunstreaker stated in a bored fashion.

"Yep! And there's these fishy-creatures that Hound says are river dolphin but they look weird and have lots of really sharp teeth. Everything here is weird and looks funny or is poisonous or giant. This place is crazy. Your planet is crazy!" The bot finished his rant.

Quiet breathless chuckles, "That I can believe. There is a lot of biodiversity in the jungle. Sunstreaker, anything interesting? Have you guys gotten hurt?"

The bots fidgeted as they caught the worry in her tone. Their human usually wasn't that obvious in showing she cared. Shrugging at his brother, Sunny grumbled bluntly, "We're fine. Except for my paint. It's in terrible condition, it's raining all the time, the humidity is awful and there is MUD all over me." He paused before admitting off-handedly, "It's very colorful here."

"I'll help you repaint when you get back," relief colored her tone and Sideswipe nodded at the golden bot's inquiring look. Something was definitely off here.

"Shay..." Mischief started carefully as a light sprinkle came down from above, "How sick are you?"

Silence before a flat monotone, "As I expected. It's alright."

"Quite lying." Sunstreaker growled through the line. His twin tensed and started to pick at the bright orange trumpet-like flowers that hung down, ignoring the look the short blue Autobot was giving him from across their temporary camp. Indecipherable muttering from the human before she growled.

"Fine. I feel like shit. My chest constantly hurts and sometimes feels like someone's pushing icy needles through it. Trying to convince myself to eat is an uphill battle, my body won't let me sleep for more than a few hours, and when I do sleep I dream I can't find you and then flip out because I think you're dead. And when I wake up there's a hole in something or I'm standing in the middle of a mess because _apparently_ I went on a minor rampage. And don't worry because I'll have it all fixed and cleaned up before you get back. Add on the pain fits every other few days, which by the way do not help me get sleep. So other than that, I'm just _peachy_." The last word an acidic hiss dripping frustration.

Sideswipe replied first to the sudden silence, "Well, that sounds fun. Guess we'll need to Shay-proof all the really breakable stuff when we get back." Sunny pinched the bridge of his noseplating and sent dark and irritated thoughts to his twin. Surprising both of them however, the female laughed.

A bitter cackle on the edge of hysteria did not make them feel any better, "Ooohhh damn." More loopy giggled, "Damn, I need more sleep."

"You are in the warehouse, right?" Sunstreaker's tone brooked no argument and plainly stated that she had better be there or else. No excuse would be good enough if she wasn't.

"Yes. Nowhere else to be and not motivated enough to go anywhere."

Hound finished typing and stood to stretch, the shorter bots standing in his wake. Sideswipe looked over and rapidly spoke through the comm link, "Just tough it out as best you can. We'll hopefully be back at the end of the week."

More static as the human on the other end moved a bit, "Stay safe. I mean it boys. You get hurt and I'll kick your afts later."

"As if glitch mouse." The yellow lambo snarked, "Hold on till we get back."

He disconnected from his twin and stowed the cable as they stood to brush off the damp leaves trying to stick to their arms. Muttering and weary sighs at the trek ahead came from the group while they waited for Hound to send the file. Doing so, the tracker swiftly tucked the glass and metal device away and they all looked at Beachcomber.

Calm blue optics turned to the bot with the map, "Which way now?"

* * *

Silently slinking through the door, a shadow tiptoed lightly across dusty orange metal. Keeping his arrival a surprise, the mech came up right behind the officer in the chair. One black servo reached out to grab the other's shoulder pad-

"Stop that." A doorwing twitch.

Frag. He said it out loud just to show how upset he was at being caught, "Frag Prowler. Ya couldn' a let meh sneak up on yah just once?"

Raising an unamused optic ridge, Prowl turned his helm slightly to keep the saboteur in his sight. Jazz sighed and placed two datapads on the desk before flopping on the guest chair. It was always the doorwings. Flittery little sensor covered appendages got him every time. Every. Single. Time.

The Praxian picked up the reports and started to read the top one, "Thank you Jazz."

"Yeah, yeah." The black and white shrugged off the smooth toned gratitude, "Bots down in Peru aren't getting' anywhere."

"Hmmm."

No opinion to that information one way or the other. However, a tiny smirk made it's way across the visored mech's faceplates and didn't remain unnoticed by the tactician. Prowl gave him a look but didn't ask. After a moment of staring, Jazz stuck out his glossa.

"They might not be findin' much but back here ah mighta found somethin'". Smugness growing along with the smile, he gestured toward the second pad lying dark upon the desk. Giving a suspicious glance, The SIC turned it on and curiously glanced it over. When finished he set it back down and studied the lazily settled spy with a frown.

"You are sure this building belongs to the Twins?"

"Yep. Betcha it's probably a high-grade distillery again." Nonchalant boredom tipped with amusement at the courage of troublemakers.

Prowl looked away from the glinting visor to study the report again before sighing, doorwings starting to droop, "Since they are not here, now would be an opportune time to assess the building in the case that otherwise they would hide anything incriminating before we got there. If they wanted a place outside of the Ark, they should have brought it to an officer's attention. Thank you Jazz."

"Not a problem Prowler. OP gave the go ahead for that paintball game next week by the way." The Datsun made a face and Jazz continued, "Anythin' else?"

"If you could just send Bluestreak in here, that would be most helpful please."

Prowl had already turned back to the precarious but neat stacks of work on his desk so Jazz merely nodded and waltzed himself out. None one was about to notice the slight toothy grin that flashed across his face before returning to a regular smile. One part accomplished, now on to the next...

Not half an hour later, a gray Datsun headed across the nearby town, muttering nervously to himself the whole way, "It's just checking it out. And Prowl ordered me too, so they won't be too mad. Unless it's high-grade again 'cause then Prowl will shut it down and they'll probably be upset..." The younger bot wove through evening traffic. It was rather uneventful save for when he stopped for a turtle and the people behind got impatient. Finally finding the right road, the silver car nearly missed the hidden drive and screeched to a halt before reversing to pull up the pavement.

Around the bend showed a large off-white building next to a small parking lot with a green pickup parked there. Bluestreak hummed in thought. On one servo, that could mean it was the wrong address because why else would there be a normal vehicle here? Or Prowl had the wrong information. But Prowl was never wrong, the younger Praxian having complete faith in the officer. And big cargo doors tipped the scales in favor of the Twins (or at least a Cybertronian) coming and going from the building.

After a short puff of vented air, Bluestreak started toward the doors but froze as a quiet sound grew in volume and pitch by the second. A low keen swiftly howled up into a painful shriek. Electricity crackled along his lines as the Datsun jolted at the scream. He ripped the thin metal door open with his fists and lunged inside.

Big furniture. Big objects just the right size for a bot. Weapons, video games, and paint. This place definitely belonged to the Twins.

All noticed and ignored in a split second as the chevroned mech rapidly looked around for the source of the noise. He found it near the back and to the left where there lay a mattress with several plain blankets on top, neatly folded. Curled up on the floor only a few feet from there a human whined and whimpered.

"Whoa! Hey! Calm down what's wrong!? Are you hurt? I mean obviously you must be because you were screaming and you don't look so good..."

He trailed off uncertain on what to do. The human was female, short and appearing so very thin at the moment. White knuckled hands clutched her arms while fingernails dug in hard enough to draw blood. Wearing only old jeans and a loose dark tee-shirt, the bot could easily note her whole body shaking. Ragged gasps heaved in and out of her chest, lank and long gray-brown hair quivering with each tiny movement. Her scream had cut out as soon as she'd realized someone was there.

'She looks familiar,' Blue thought distantly, more focused on trying to find the source of the pain. And then the human turned her face up. Tear stains, exhausted pain-dulled expression. And very pale eyes.

.

.

.

"RAAAATTTTCCCHHHEETTTTTTT!"

The medic lurched from his seated position in the medbay and hurried toward the door, throwing it open seconds after the cry. That had been Bluestreak's distinctive pitch, but not the 'Someone said something and upset me' cry. Or even the 'I did something stupid and hurt myself a little' whine. No, that was a full out panic of 'I'm dying/someone's dying/we have a real emergency' wail.

Spark pulsing in tension, the med bot looked down the hall to see the Datsun zipping as fast as his engine would allow. Brakes drew up smoke as he screeched to a halt and stood, shoving his arms out to push something at the red and white mech.

"Ratchet-Ratchet-you-have-to-help-I-don't-know-what-to-do-how-to-fix-humans-please-fix-her-help-and-she-was-screaming-she's-hurt-and-I-panicked-and-I-don't-know-what-to-do-help-because-I-can't-" A barely understandable spew of frantic words poured from the younger bot's vocalizer. All the medic caught was 'Screaming. Hurt. Fix. Please.' In stunned silence he stared down at the limp body cradled in Bluestreak's arms. He'd expected the Praxian to be hurt.

Not a familiar yet unconscious human.

* * *

Brawl was pretty sure he hated the rainforest. All the slagging trees were making him angry and the tank wasn't happy with the mission to begin with. At least it had stopped raining. If he saw one more gray cloud today, he was gonna punch something. Dirt coated treads whirled in irritation at the con's shoulders.

"Hey! You're supposed to be helping." A dark gray and dusty blue body poked it's way out of the pit they'd been digging. Brawl paused in moving crates and snarled but his visored teammate wasn't looking at him. The burgundy optic band was focused instead on the last Combaticon assigned to their mission.

Swindle turned away from the strange seed pods he'd been palming, "I am helping, just taking a short break." The higher pitched tone grated on Brawl's audio receptors. It there was one thing that pissed him off about the shortest Combaticon, it was his sleazy voice. And the fact that he wasn't helping.

His own southern drawl bellowed out, "Get Your Aft In Gear! We gotta find all those slaggin' crystals!"

The con jumped and gave the green and gray tank a cagey glance before sighing and jumping back down to pull out loose chips with Vortex. Brawl hefted another crate full of dirt-covered crystals out of the hole to drop with a loud 'thunk' onto the growing stack. Sun rays danced on the shards, amber yellow and gold peaking out of the flat planes. Starscream had called them 'Orpiment' or something. Whatever it was, apparently it was important because Megatron had sent them out to dig up a bunch. Brawl didn't really care. Not even the fact that it was poisonous to humans really cheered him. They were just stupid crystals after all.

Stupid crystals that Swindle kept trying to stash on his person. Vortex leaned over and whacked his teammate on the helm with his rotors. Clutching his helm in fake hurt, the off-road vehicle whined.

"Awww come on! He doesn't need _all_ of these. And I could get some real good cash for 'em."

Vortex sighed, undoubtedly rolling his optics behind a crimson visor. Whatever reply the helicopter had was left unsaid as three shorter cons leaped out of the trees and dashed towards them. Brawl straightened, interest sparking in his own optic band.

"Hey hey, we have bots incoming." The leader of the camera-cons, Viewfinder, explained. The maroon lackey on his right spoke up, "Yeah, looks like they finally caught up."

"So we're fighting them right?" the last one, Spyglass looked to the larger cons. While not as small as cassettes, the diminutive spies were still quite short compared to the other Decepticons.

Swindle made a face, "We could set a trap..." Violet optics behind translucent glass studied the jungle with hesitance. Fighting was not one of the things he did for fun. It was much better to trick people into buying things from him.

"No time for that," Viewfinder replied lightly, "Besides, Brawl can't be quiet to save his life. He'd give us away."

Said tank whirled on the spymaster, "WHAT Did Yah Say?!"

"Case to point." Snickered Spectro, crossing dark arms over his chipped armor. Rage kindled in Brawl's faceplates, fists clenching and plating noisily flaring out with a scritching noise.

The camera-con leader continued as if his subordinate hadn't spoken, "Of course, the bots are only a few minutes away. I do believe it would be easier to attack them now while they don't know we're here."

With a furious roar the tank transformed and sped at the shorter Cybertronians. They dodged and he zoomed past to crash through trees and underbrush. A horrendous ruckus went up in his wake as smaller trees fell and the tank's treads kicked up debris. Vortex strode across the new clearing, neatly smacking Viewfinder as he went past.

"Hey!" The three exclaimed although only Viewfinder had been hit. Vortex transformed and waited patiently as Swindle stowed the crates in the helicopter's cargo hold. Quickly finishing, the yellow and purple con transformed to zoom after Brawl. The last Combaticon snarled his aerial engine before jumping back to root mode and heading into the forest.

"Stop doing that," Vortex rumbled, "Or I'll give you a fun ride on the way back to base."

Nearby, Brawn paused and looked at Beachcomber inquiringly, "Are there elephants in this jungle?" Thunderous sounds and snapping tree branches echoed in front of the group.

"That's not an elephant. I hear an engine!" Sunstreaker yanked his gun from subspace and aimed ahead, but never managed to fire. Snarling, a tank leaped out of the jungle growth and transformed mid-air. In a blur of olive green metal and a burning crimson visor, Brawl crashed into the tawny frontliner and sent the bot flying back to land against the tough trunk of a canopy tree. The wood groaned and cracked while lights flashed through Sunny's optics.

.

.

.

_Pain. Anger. Surprise._

_Washed out eyes shot open to glare furiously at the figures above. A piercing howl of rage spilled out. Distant shouting through static-laden thoughts. _

_"Get me a sedative! She's -"_

_Struggling to move, get up, fight. Need to fight. Threat. Danger. Anger anger anger._

_._

_._

_._

A strong punch to the faceplates had the con spinning as Sideswipe got between him and his brother. Scrambling up, Sunstreaker lunged into the fight. A savage smile slipped across his lips to match his twin's. The two tag-teamed Brawl as around them more joined the battle. Blasts of pale light scorched past their plating from Swindle, the con sniping at the Autobots from his position by a thick compilation of trees. The mini Autobot hefted up a fallen log, twice the size of himself, and swung it like a baseball bat just at the moment Vortex joined the fight. The blow crashed into the gray con's left side and sent decaying wood chips into the air. Turning, the helicopter blasted at Brawn but missed as Hound pushed himself forward to smash into Vortex's firing arm and throw the shot off.

"Slagging Cons!" Sunstreaker yelled, slashing across Brawl's chest with a knife.

It barely scratched the plating, armor proving too tough. An energon shot could have done more damage but they were in too close of quarters to really use their blasters well. Only a few feet away the three mini-cons ganged up on Beachcomber, trying to tackle the dune buggy to the ground. With swift footwork and quick maneuvering he managed to spin and kick the red and black Spectro across the battlefield.

Past broken trees and trampled earth the con flew before landing in a skidding slide by Brawl. Hissing in contempt, he struggled to stand and almost got crushed. Barely dodging the humongous footsteps of those on his own side, the short con rolled.

Unfortunately for Spectro, the mini Autobot had noticed him. With an iron grip, Brawn plucked him up and hurled the camera-con at Vortex. Getting a face full of pissed off metal was not what the helicopter was expecting, shock sputtering out of his vocals as he stumbled back.

Spectro yelped ,"Stop throwing me!"

A shriek as Spyglass shot Beachcomber's leg in retaliation for his fellow combiner being kicked. The blue and white bot crashed down and scrambled to aim his blaster before he himself got shot, several blasts from Swindle coming precariously close. Sideswipe noticed and quickly made optic contact with his twin who nodded. With a blast towards Swindle's sniping spot, Sideswipe dashed around the twisting and moving bodies to aid his downed comrade.

Leaving Sunstreaker to handle Brawl. Baring his denta, the frontliner circled the engine-roaring tank and then they crashed together, servos locked in a strength competition. Furiously blue optics glared at a glinting scarlet visor. Feet sliding back by inches, the bot snarled.

Pulling back before shoving forward again, this time for an uppercut and crushing wires in Brawl's wrist. Howling in fury, the tank dodged a kick and swung his arm to deliver a lethal blow to the bot's chest. Cracks splinted in the glass, his metal frame dented inward. Sunstreaker gave a roar of his own while several blasts zipped by his helm and pushed forward. One of Swindle's shots peppered Brawl's right shoulder plating.

The tank crouched and shifted the barrel of his cannon to aim at the lamborghini, "COME ON AUTOBOT! BRING IT!"

Optics widened as Sunstreaker barely dodged in time to avoid heavy artillery fire in the faceplates. The blast smashed the ground at the center of their battlefield with a boom and sent massive clods of dirt and damp wood flying out in all directions. Brawn was too close to the detonation and crashed back from the explosive force. Hound turned his helm away from his enemy for only a second to check on the minibot.

Enough time for Vortex to take advantage and shoot him at almost point blank range in the abdominal region. Pink and blue fluids sprayed out and sparking wires flew from the hole. Drips of liquids spilled from the Autobot's lips.

Shock flashed across the silvery faceplates before gray servos crunched into that softer metal and Hound dropped unconscious. Grabbing him, Vortex transformed and started his rotors, sending a heavy wind out around him.

The three parts of Reflector leaped away from tormenting Sideswipe and Beachcomber with minor wounds to scramble into Vortex. Loud exclamations burst through the air as the Autobots raced after to get Hound, now lying in the helicopter's hold. A spray of sharp blasts cut them off as Swindle bolted from his position to lunge inside the air craft that was steadily rising. At the same time, Sunstreaker tore into his opponent, stabbing at unprotected spots between heavy plating. Grunting at the pain, the tank landed a punch to the frontliner's right side. A glancing blow that hardly slowed the frontliner as the bot twisted around the con's defenses to ripped a huge chunk along Brawl's arm out. He pounded hit after hit at the masked con's face, forcing the tank back. Chips of metal broke off and ended up underfoot as the con turned on the defensive.

Giving no warning this time, Brawl swiveled his cannon and fired three rapid shots that quaked the ground, halting the lambo in his tracks and sending the other bots skidding back away from the blasts. Through the smoke and dirt clouded air that concealed movement for only seconds, the tank raced toward Vortex. He came in on Swindle's heels and the three short cons gave cover fire as the Autobots recovered.

Vortex quickly lifted off and within seconds hovered above the tree tops, sending branched to crash down on the other Cybertronians. Swiftly disappearing upward, the Autobots fired back in desperation. Beachcomber managed a lucky shot at Swindle, causing the Combaticon to cry out before Vortex's doors slammed shut.

And then they were too high and quickly becoming a speck above. Vents puffing hard and engines still whining from overuse, the Autobots stared disbelievingly at where their enemy had disappeared into the vast blue atmosphere.

Black servos clenched into fists and smashed heavily against one of the giant trees as Sideswipe growled, "They. Have. Hound." Another punch to dent the bark. Another.

"We're calling Skyfire." Sunstreaker barked at the other two, lips curling up over slightly fanged denta and vengeance sparking in pale optics, "We're heading back to base."

* * *

.

.

.

*fist pumps* I finished it before the end of the month, so I'm still on track for at least one chapter a month! Take that school work! *falls over from sleep deprivation* And enjoy the cliffhanger :D


	24. Chapter 24

There were giants above, silver faces peering down with ethereal glowing blue eyes and shining armor. Murmured words were gibberish to her cotton-stuffed ears as Shay lay on a hard surface. Although it felt like someone had placed a folded blanket under her neck and head. She didn't care, far too content to just stay there and bask in the warm embrace of drug-induced bliss.

'I've been kidnapped by shiny aliens,' the woman though slowly, staring in blurry fascination at the light glinting off the moving metal forms. 'I should tell those ufo crazies they got their descriptions wrong.' An inane giggle sounded and Shay realized it was from her, but the bots were talking again. Hair rustling against the makeshift pillow, her head turned slightly. Bright. Too bright. She didn't like the light glaring down at her from above. At least it was warm.

But her body felt so sluggish and heavy, she couldn't really move. And then blackness swept across her eyelids.

The second time the human awoke, she didn't at first realize she was actually conscious. A room, laying down, light from above. That was all she knew.

And slowly more awake thoughts drifted in with their nagging questions that unconscious was too lazy to answer. Where was she? Metal, lots of metal everywhere in a room easily twice the size of her house and probably larger. This was familiar... After a few moments, the previous events came back and with it the impending dread while she sat up slowly. Things were most definitely screwed to hell now and she didn't have the Twins for backup. 'Thanks life, glad you could kick me while I was down again.' An aggressive though before the female forced herself to breath in deeply and remain calm. She was only angry because Sunstreaker and Sideswipe weren't there. Calm, calm was good.

Critically eyeing the large table she was on and scooting around a bit, Shay decided there was no way she was getting down without help. Besides, where would a shoe-less woman go in the middle of a giant base? She did contemplate taking out the drip taped to her wrist but lost the chance as a red and white bot stomped over from a small room off to the right. He methodically checked her over, carefully poked and prodded while glancing at his scans as she sat very still. Mouth plates set firmly into a deep frown, Shay couldn't decide if the expression on his face was peeved, worried, furious or tired. She suspected all of them.

One servo coming up to rub his face, Ratchet vented before giving her an odd look and speaking, "First off, I would like to apologize."

Not what she had been expecting. A blink, "Okay... Why?"

"After you were brought in, you became conscious and acted quite violently. Normally, I would hesitate to administer sedatives when I do not have complete medical files on someone, however, you were behaving erratically and hurting yourself." Ratchet paused to poke at the bandages covering her right arm. Shay had wondered why it'd been wrapped and only looked at him patiently, "I based the dosage on your weight. Which by the way is below average and not anywhere close to where it should be!"

His tone turned indignant as he crossed his arms and glared. The woman shrugged to which the medic rumbled before continuing.

"Basing it on weight proved to be ineffective as it was too much and kept you under for longer than was safe." Shay watched him before turning to look at the machinery off to the right and below the table she was sitting on. There were flashing lights and beeps coming from the devices.

A grumble, "It goes against my medical code to cause serious harm or threat to patients. Administering a dose of chemicals into your body was dangerous, although I lacked a better alternative. Which is why I'm trying to apologize." Ratchet waited, scowl still in place although he did sound slightly ill at ease for possibly causing harm to the human. Shay continued to stare at him.

"...Okay."

Now the medbot got a suspicious look, "Are you completely awake?"

"Yes. My eyes are open and I'm speaking."

"That does not always constitute being conscious." A new voice with a mild British accent chimed in. Behind Ratchet, a taller bot leaned over to get a peak at her. Shay only caught a short glance of his face and tri-colored plating of maroon, teal, and black before the CMO was shoving the newcomer out the door.

"I said NO ONE comes in unless I say they can!" A snarl as Ratchet's armor puffed up slightly in aggrievance, "OUT Perceptor."

The new bot, Perceptor apparently, pleaded his case, "I was only coming to see if you needed help..."

"OUT!"

The doors whooshed shut behind them, leaving the female to question just how awake she really was. Tired and sore yes, but completely conscious. With a sigh she unfolded the blanket and wrapped it around her shoulders, as a tee-shirt was not quite warm enough. Outside the doors came the indisputable sounds of shouting followed by silence and then the grouchy medic came back through dragging a door-winged mech by the arm. At least this one she knew. It was hard to forget such a talkative Autobot.

"There!" Ratchet pointed at her with an almost accusatory finger while still holding the Praxian, "She's not dead. So you can stop sitting out in the hall."

Bluestreak's wilted body language instantly perked up as he saw Shay sitting on the table, "You're okay! I mean, you look better. It was awful before because you were screaming and then unconscious but you don't look so bad-"

"Blue," the woman sighed, "I'm alright now."

The white and red ambulance disagreed vehemently, "Oooooooh no, we're going to have a talk about that later. For now, _you_ get to calm him down. And stay here while I find human food." He snarled. Whirling around, the mech stomped right back out of the medbay.

"Where else would I go?" Shay muttered before turning back to her companion that was rapidly working himself into an excited state. Doorwings fluttered up and down with joy. She hadn't realized the sensory panels could actually move that much.

"I was really worried because I didn't know what to do so I brought you to Ratchet (please don't be mad at me for that) and then he kicked me out. So I've been outside in the hall for awhile except I had patrol so I had to leave for a bit but I came back and Ratchet wouldn't tell me anything and First Aid came out but wouldn't say anything either. And then Ratchet called some of the officers..." He stopped his information splurge as the human raised a hand to intervene.

"How long was I out?"

The datsun hummed in thought and hefted himself up on the med-berth to sit next to her, "Well, I brought you to Ratchet yesterday evening and now it's Wednesday, noon actually. So... about fifteen hours. Yeah." He nodded almost to himself as he checked his math. Shay blinked and pinched the bridge of her nose, muttering 'fifteen hours?!' under her breath. Blue leaned down to peer at her with a frown but the woman waved the impending questions away.

"That's... longer than I expected. I suppose the sedative had to do with it." She gave a partially amused and rueful look to the gunner next to her, "I've caught up on a lot of my sleep but still feel tired."

They sat in thoughtful silence as the human wondered what all was going on outside the medbay and where Ratchet was. The IV bothered her. Needles were not something she particularly enjoyed. But those wandering thoughts were pulled back when Bluestreak piped up almost hesitantly, feet swinging back and forth. "Wanna know something cool?" He continued at her nod, "I looked up your name a bit because I thought it was really funny and apparently there was a little known Egyptian god called Shay although it was usually Shai and the female version of the name was Shait. Anyways, he or she's the god of fate and I thought that was sooooo cool. You did save the Twins." Mischievous and hopefully glinting sky blue optics looked at her. Damn. Shay wanted to know who taught this kid that look, because if she found them they were getting throttled. How the hell could anyone be annoyed when he got that face?

Dark crescented eyes rolling, she huffed, "The irony is not lost on me. But I am fully human."

"I know I know!" Bluestreak hurried, sweeping his servos out. He seemed to talk with his hands a lot, "But it would be interesting..."

"Interesting my aft. It would complicate things more so than they already are." Even though she didn't know how Cybertronians aged, the woman would have bet good money that Blue was either a late teen or early adult. Grudgingly she added, "But you're correct. Meeting an Egyptian deity would be... different."

The door opened as the head medic stomped back in, seeming even more vexed. He set a large Tupperware container in front of Shay and then placed his servos on his hips, noting Bluestreak's much calmer manner. With a firm look, the mech pointed toward the doorway he'd just come through, "Alright, you saw her. Now out."

"But Raaaaatttttccc-"

"You'll see her later. Go." A cold-iron solid and superior officer voice that made mech's do as they were told without question. The medic remained unfazed by the puppy optics as the gunner pouted and slunk out. Shay's tired eyes narrowed at Ratchet's flat statement. He seemed so very certain that she would be staying here awhile. She didn't like that. As they became the only two inhabitants of the room again, the woman's face turned into a glaring expression. For a moment, the Cybertronian and human regarded each other as if not sure where they stood in the situation. Then Ratchet stuck out his red servos.

"Come on then. We haven't got all day." A gruff rumble as she studied the large metal palm. Shay didn't move.

"Where to? And why?"

"NOW." The bulky mech loomed over her with impatience rapidly blooming over his face, "Woman, I have just spent the last who-knows-how-many-hours dealing with _you_. So kindly do me a favor and do NOT make this more difficult than necessary." With every word his tone sharpened. The human scowled and slowly stood on shaky legs while making sure the blanket stayed securely around her shoulders. With a hand, she lifted up the plastic dish and hugged it. Shay could understand why he was grouchy. But her own patience in the last week or so had fled and the echoes of annoyance still reverberated below. Not to mention authority without her consent usually ended with sharp words.

"If I had no choice, you should have made that clear from the start." The murmur came out bland and almost non-existent in the huge room.

He rumbled briefly but she'd already stepped into the palms, his thumbs wrapping up to hold guard so she wouldn't fall. It was slightly strange to be handled by one who wasn't the Twins, metal plating unfamiliar in it's structure. Not another word was spoken, maybe because they both knew it would head toward insults or perhaps the medic really was too annoyed and tired to try and argue with her. Whatever the case, he carried her out and down the wide hallway. A few others passed by, curious glances that quickly looked away when they caught the warning glower Ratchet sent out. Shay merely studied all the different sizes, colors and shapes of their frames passively until they arrived at a slightly larger door than the ones she'd seen before. Passing through the threshold yielded a space slightly smaller than the medbay and held a much more diminished variety of objects. Only a large table with chairs scattered about filled the room. Save for an oddly shaped raised oval attached to the center of the table, the space was undecorated and bare. Nothing on the walls, no other furniture in the room.

People however, were another story. Two figures lounged on the chairs. Well, one relaxed with feet up on the table and servos linked behind his horned helm. The other fairly recognizable one was disassembling what looked to be a big gun. If Shay recalled correctly, the the lazy-looking visored one was Jazz. He'd spoken to her and given her a ride. Big Red was Iron-something or other and all the woman remembered of him was a thick southern accent.

Without even a greeting, Ratchet set Shay down on the table, although he was careful to make sure she didn't fall. He pointed at the container she carried and commanded, "Eat, drink, and stay here. You two..."

"We're watchin' 'er." Jazz gave a two-fingered salute. That settled, Shay gave the bots a wary look before kneeling to sit while the medic left them. She wondered why he seemed in such a hurry.

Opening the plastic container showed a sandwich, an apple and a water bottle inside. The woman wasn't really that hungry, just the thought of eating stirring up faint nausea. But it had been too long so she had to at least try. Sighing, she twisted the cap off the water and sipped. Her throat was starting to ache a bit and the liquid helped, even if it made her stomach queasy. Her blue eyes returned to the warriors.

"Am I allowed to know what is going on?" Big Red just shrugged with a noncommittal grunt as he pulled out a cloth to clean all the little metal pieces organized on the table. Jazz grinned and one of his feet bobbed up and down. Shay wondered if he was listening to music.

"Jus' watin'."

Thin rough fingers clenched in worry, "For what?"

"Da others." Not satisfied with his vague answer, Shay turned away to look at the food again. The human really wasn't hungry, but her body need her to eat. A tiny rumble shivered through her lower torso. Maybe she was hungry after all.

* * *

Sunstreaker had been delegated to be the bearer of bad news. It hadn't been planned out and no one nominated the other. The task just seemed to fall to him, and so the frontliner shouldered it as he shouldered all uncomfortable things; with silent resolve.

Beachcomber was the most heavily wounded with a ragged hole in his left leg. The shorter bot's armor wasn't as thick as the frontliners and not really meant for heavy combat. He also had hardly spoken a word since his close friend had been captured, so it was obvious that the beach buggy would not be the messenger. Darker and revenge-ridden thoughts plagued Brawn. They could have asked him, but one look at the mini's expression stalled those ideas. Asking such a task wouldn't help him, even if the tough little bot insisted he was fine. Which left the twins.

Sideswipe didn't say a word, anger still sidling along his wires. It would have to be one of the two and Sunstreaker took the burden. Even though his twin didn't ask and nothing was said, aloud or over the comm links, the brothers just looked at each other for a split second as they sat in Skyfire's hold and that was enough optic contact to decide. The barest nod from the red twin.

Their transportation for that matter didn't question what had occurred. Hound's absence spoke for itself. Flying back to base was a silent and bleak ride.

It seemed like an eternity and no time at all, as they were soon in the medbay with First Aid and Ratchet checking them over. Beachcomber was moved to another room after Wheeljack started digging around in the wound to see what needed replaced. If the CMO saw the grateful look the blue bot sent, he didn't show it. The only thing on the medic's faceplates was a pinched expression. Optimus came in and went to Sunstreaker, the only bot who was making optic contact.

While they conversed, Brawn and Sideswipe sat still so their medics could slap patches on and seal energon lines. Larger dents were hammered out and Ratchet said not a word. That should have been a warning.

A quiet Ratchet was bad. He always griped about them being 'thick helmed idiots with no common sense' and how they were going to be the death of him. Too caught up in their own thoughts, the recently returned team didn't notice the lack of expected threats. And if they had it would only have been attributed to the medic noting their missing. The fact that Ratchet hadn't barked at them the second they entered escaped them. Prime's quiet baritone rumbled enough to catch everyone else's attention.

"You are certain he was alive when they took him?" Seated next to the berth, Optimus' form held straight but for the tiniest of slouches in the shoulder plating. Even so, the red and blue bot was easily a head taller than the lambos. Tired optics searched Sunstreaker's face.

A solemn nod, "My back was turned. But the others all saw. Unconscious and injured, but alive." The Autobot leader looked to Sideswipe and Brawn who both nodded.

The Prime vented a deep sigh as Sunstreaker spoke again, "They'll torture him for info before they call for a trade." Optimus nodded in agreement but said nothing more. They all knew what happened when bots got captured. Hopefully, they could send in a rescue team before things got too bad. Optimus waited patiently as First Aid questioned if anything felt uncomfortable to Brawn and then sent him out, moving on to Sunstreaker's dent in the front hood. By now the Twins had realized something was off. Why hadn't the Prime left? Identical faces glanced at each other while Ratchet scanned the carnelian pit-spawn.

Sideswipe spoke up, "I'm fine Ratchet. Nothing major."

"Hush."

It was a muttered retort lacking any real heat or the expected barb. The frontliners were finally coming to the conclusion that something was very very wrong. Ratchet's quiet response sent unease through them. And Optimus still hadn't gotten up. Impassive blue optics watched them and Sideswipe's dark servos twitched, a nervous habit from having been on the receiving end of an officer's irritation too many times. The fidgeting only ever happened when he knew he was in really big trouble. Had they found evidence that he'd been the one to put flower stickers on Swoop's wings? Maybe it was about replacing Track's wax with a special glue a couple weeks ago. Although if it was, this was a terrible time to bring it up.

At last the medics were finished, Ratchet running one more scan and giving the scanner a nasty look as if it had dared to lie to him before declaring them fit. Except when the Twins went to leave, the Prime stood with them and the medic placed a heavy grip on both their shoulders.

They stared back at the officers with widened and suspicious optics but neither Optimus nor Ratchet gave a single clue, leading them down the hall. Something was wrong here.

* * *

It turned out Shay was hungry after all. Ravenous actually. But that's what happens when one hardly eats for more than a week. Of course, she knew exactly why her appetite came back and certainty grew as bits and pieces of emotion not her own sprang up.

_Anger. Rage. Guilt. Worry. _

Whatever was going on, it was bad. But she could only wait it out in the room. Finishing her food left the woman with nothing to do and her stomach rolled at the sudden influx. But she breathed slow and easy until it settled. Still bored, Shay decided to watch the large one clean his gun. There were so many pieces that were tiny compared to the behemoth but he still handled them expertly and with the utmost care. How the mech remembered where all those bits went astonished her.

"You are Ironhide, correct?" His name had come back while she was watching.

The bot's navy optics landed on her and held, fingers not even slowing as they deftly moved about, "Yeh." She made no comment in return and continued to stare. Eventually he huffed. A dip of a crested helm in silent question.

"Ah don't get yah." He finally grumbled.

"Oh?"

The bulky red bot rumbled his engine quietly, "Tryin' tah figure out what kin'a human yah are."

"The no-nonsense kind." Shay replied immediately straight-faced. She wasn't sure what she expected but it was not rough and deep laughter. As the Autobot chuckled loudly, a scowl slid onto her face, "I was completely serious."

"Ah know. That's why it's funneh."

Doors whooshing back to click into the wall caused her to turn and see a gold bot and another red one step into the room, Prime and the medic at their heels.

_Shock._

Heavy silence as the room seemed to shrink in on itself, sucking out all the air and movement. One could almost see the dissonant chord hovering in the air between, tying optics and eyes across the tension filled space. Surprise flowed onto the Twin's faceplates, optics almost comically wide and paling to soft frosted blue. Shay looked back grimly, her mouth thinning into a flat line. The rest of the room watched the silent interaction. Then the moment was broken, and with it the stifling feel that had hung in the air.

Sideswipe spoke up first, "So...uh, what's with the human...?" A nervous but innocent grin seemed strained. His brother's expression turned blank as he continued to stare at the woman.

She snorted, "Don't bother. They're not that stupid."

"I would concur." Prowl glided into the room on light feet, doorwings held high and stiff. He pulled two chairs out and waited as the Twins cautiously sat, before taking a seat himself and smacking Jazz's feet down in the process. With everyone now in a chair, save for the cross legged human on the table, Prime began.

"This is your chance to explain."

"Well..." Sunstreaker said not a word and only stared back as his brother searched for the right explanation.

Ratchet was finally showing the bubbling anger that he'd been struggling to keep at bay, "Yes, do explain why the human who dragged your sparks halfway across the continent is now giving off a faint energy signal. One that matches _you two._"

The three accused looked at each other in confusion before Shay studied the medic, "An energy signature?"

"You didn't know?" He balked in disbelief. Surely the Twins had already known? Once again the human and frontliners glanced at each other, looking for confirmation. Sunstreaker gave the barest shake of his helm. The woman frowned and looked back at Ratchet, "We were unaware."

"But you have been hiding something," Prowl spoke to Sunstreaker and Sideswipe, "Tell us what is going on." The rest of the room remained quiet and waited. Sideswipe scratched the back of his helm and looked at the table before murmuring in Twinspeak. However, instead of his brother replying, it was the human. A low grumble followed by a stretched whirling croon and sharp cut-off 'bre' syllables. Mouths fell open as the human tongue distorted the Terror Twin's language and Sunstreaker dipped his helm in agreement as a reply. Letting out a sigh, Shay turned to Optimus.

"I suppose I'll go first." With a nod from the huge bot and a steadying breath, she began, "I believe it started on my way here..."

For the next hour the woman talked, and talked and talked. Far more than she was used to and at one point her voice cracked until she drank more water. Shay told them everything that hadn't been told before; picking up emotions from the sparks, why she left, being sick. Even the lighting dream, at which point both lamborghinis grew fidgety and let their optics drill holes into the table. When she was finally done Ratchet started in on the questions, trying to dig up whatever she had forgotten. Then it was the Twins turn and Sideswipe spoke for himself and his brother. At the end he nervously hunched his shoulder plates and said quietly, "We didn't... mean to do whatever we did, when we were in there. I mean, we didn't even realize we were _doing_ something."

Sideswipe shrugged as he didn't know quite what else to say and the human's eyes darted around the conference room to watch all the reactions. Optimus looked tired, probably unsure of how to deal with this new development. And who would have expected it?

Prowl was thoughtful, mind zipping along all the facts while Ironhide seemed mulish and unhappy with the situation. The medic was seriously pissed off by the glares he was giving the three of them. Jazz alone didn't seem too bothered, face neutral and visor hiding his optics with whatever the bot may have been thinking. Shay unfolded her legs as they started to cramp and took another swig of water.

Groaning, the weapon specialist rubbed his face, "This is crazeh."

"Well, at the very least I can say with almost complete certainty that it is not a bond." Ratchet tossed his piece in, going over the gathered information on the datapad before him. Simultaneously, the Twin's optics widened before both vented a sigh of relief.

Shay looked around puzzled, "Bond?"

The medic looked up from the gathered files to frown at her before glancing at the Twins, who just happened to be emanating nervousness all of a sudden. Eyes narrowing, Shay turned around to glare daggers at the bots who were most definitely not looking at her. Even Sunstreaker who never cared when she got angry. A vicious snarl settled on her lips as they curled up over her teeth, "Boys..."

Jazz stepped in to answer for them, "It's a tie between folk. Like married couples, twins, and gestalt siblings." The human paled at the humongous grin spreading across the saboteur's face plates and his words. Optimus cleared his intakes and gave the Porsche a stern look, kicking him under the table. Shay didn't notice. Her eyes bleached out until it seemed only a thin layer of blue resided in there and Ratchet leaned forward to note the change with interest. Letting out a furious hiss and short clattering sounds, she sent a venomous look across the table. Both Sunstreaker and Sideswipe leaned away from the woman verbally threatening them. A curling noise tinted with a whine from Sideswipe was harshly cut off as the female switched back to English. "Don't 'But Shay...' me!"

The golden twin hurriedly added with the slightest traces of embarrassment, armor flattening close to his body by a few tiny degrees, "There was no need to bring it up because we were pretty sure that wasn't it." Her scowl deepened before she turned away and the Twin's relaxed slightly. Optimus queried their medic.

"Do you have a theory then?"

"Hmm," Ratchet studied Shay, watching the paleness leaving her eyes and did another quick scan with a hand scanner before comparing it to the datapads spread before him, "Similar to a bond but not because she doesn't have a spark. Although she appears to be suffering some symptoms of a strained bond. I would call it a link, an empathy link to be exact. It seems to be mainly one way."

Sideswipe shifted a little and didn't agree, "But we can pick up stuff from her, sometimes."

"Only when you're extremely close, only if you make an effort, and only if she tries to send emotions to you; if everything you said is correct. And it is difficult for her to stop reacting to you. Mainly one way..." He trailed off and rapidly flicked through the information files, "Of course, I would be more certain and have more information on this if _some people_ had come to me sooner, slaggit!"

Shay startled as a red servo banged on the table top loudly. However, no one else seemed surprised. The irate medic partially stood to loom over the frontliners, optics promising murder and something more. Just the tiniest bit of sorrow hidden under an ocean of fury. "Why the Pit didn't you bring this up before?! Her I can understand, she hardly knows us. But you two! I've put you two back together Primus knows how many times and you couldn't have trusted me enough to tell me something was WRONG?!"

His voice had steadily grown in anger and volume until he was bellowing at the Twins, their flame-colored plating hunched as they stared back sadly and quietly. Optimus requested the CMO take a seat again while Shay tried to read the uncomfortable feelings coming from the lambos. This time, it was Sunstreaker who spoke, trying to apologize although the words were not quite coming out like he wanted.

"Well, we did. Back when we kept feeling off but didn't know for sure what it actually was." He glanced at Ratchet and then away quickly, tone strained. Shay spoke up slowly, still reading the menagerie of emotions.

"It is hard to go to someone with a problem when you don't exactly know what it is that's wrong. We don't know what happened." All optics turned on her but the woman stared back resolutely, "And we were planning to tell you. As soon as they got back from that Peru mission."

Ratchet was not appeased, servos spread wide on the table as if he were about to get up again, "I don't care. You two should have mentioned trading emotions as soon as you woke up!"

A knock on the door paused the brewing wrath of Storm Medic as Prime tapped a flat button on his end of the table. Red Alert stood in the doorway as it opened and his optics flickered quickly around the gathered mass, pausing at the female, before landing on Optimus. The security chief's expression turned grim. "Sir, Megatron is on the screen. He wants energon for Hound."

Uneasy looks passed from face to face as the Autobot leader's optics narrowed slightly. It had been too quick for them to be calling for a trade yet. Ironhide rumbled and stood with the Prime. Eying the ones still sitting, the semi gave an order, "Sideswipe, Sunstreaker, and Shay; I believe it would be best if you went to the medbay for Ratchet to do more tests. We will discuss the details later, but for now it seems analyzing this empathy link is the best course of action. Meeting adjourned. You are all dismissed." With that, the two bots followed Red, Jazz trailing after with a wink to the human in passing. Shay blinked and watched in puzzlement at the Twin's loud sighs of relief. It didn't last long though.

"You are both in serious trouble." Prowl stated flatly, blithely unconcerned about the muttered cries of 'awww' from the more mischievous hellion, "Keeping important information such as this from superior officers is a huge violation of the rules. For now, neither of you are to leave the restriction zone around the Ark without expressed permission. Also, the entirety of the brig is going to be cleaned."

Sunstreaker gave him a suspicious look, "We never get off that easy." "How come Shay doesn't get grouched at?" His twin whined, making sure not to see the poisonous expression on the female's face.

"I believe Miss Carpenter has already learned her lesson, having to deal with the repercussions of her choice through these painful side effects. And don't concern yourselves about punishments. There will be more to do later." The police car paused and added quietly, "However, I believe a decent recharge for you both is in order first." The medic made a noise of agreement but no comment. Sideswipe's cheerful grin returned full force as he shook his helm and reached over to tussle Shay's messy hair, although the woman rudely slapped away the comforting gesture.

"Soon. Prime said we gotta let Doc do some tests first. And we got some catching up to do."

"And an explanation." His brother added with a quick narrow-opticed look at Shay. She scowled in return.

"Not my idea. Don't blame me."

Ratchet decided it was a good moment to join in, "While we're on the subject of you being here, you are to be _staying_ here. I can't accurately keep track of your health if you are not on base. Not to mention we don't want to trigger an episode should you go too far from these idiots." He watched as if expecting an argument. Instead she merely sighed and nodded, a murmur of 'thought so' under her breath.

"I do need a few essentials first. I can get them from their hideout." Shay jerked a thumb at the lambos.

"No." The ambulance replied instantly as he gathered up the medical datapads, "Send someone else to get them, you're not leaving base."

That didn't go over well, Shay's eyes shifting into a venomous glare. Elbowing the tawny warrior under the table, Sides silently gestured at the two opposing forces of nature. Scary medic of doom Hatchet versus stoic growly human who shot giants three to four times her size. Who would win? Prowl frowned and opened his mouth but Shay was already speaking again.

"You cannot force me to remain here." The female bit out slowly, "I will stay because it is necessary but I do believe I will be perfectly fine for half an hour to acquire needed items. You can order the others around all you like but I am _human_, and therefore not under your jurisdiction." A tremor of amusement from the Twin's ghosted along her insides. Apparently this entire argument was nothing but a farce for them.

"Wrong," Ratchet leaned in to tower over her and snarled lowly, "I am in charge when it comes to injuries or health issues. Human or not, you will listen unless you want to be confined to the medical bay for a very long time."

He'd barely finished the lecture when the human's eyes snapped to the washed out version. Silence reigned among the three bystanders as they waited to see how she would react until Shay finally murmured without taking her eyes from the ambulance's bulky form, "Can he do that?"

"According to the Human-Autobot Treatise with the United States Government, Act twenty-seven, Provision six point four; any human(s) with medical issues pertaining to contact by Decepticons or Autobots is to be treated under Commanding Medical Officer Ratchet. So technically... yes." An even reply from the tactician as he stretched his doorwings, "Although may I suggest that she may retrieve these important items with an escort? Someone other than Sideswipe and Sunstreaker obviously." As he stood, the human's face didn't change from the icy mask but Sideswipe's wince said all they needed to know on how she was feeling. Ratchet tapped a finger on the table with a smug look before sighing and adding grudgingly.

"I suppose it is imperative for you to have necessary items. You can leave with an escort later." The only response was a nod before the human stalked over to her bots, "First you three are going to the medbay. I need more scans."

Muted farewells to Prowl as they left the conference room and were once again in the sprawling repair center. Shay was really starting to hate this room. She'd barely settled herself between the Twin's seated forms when Ratchet stalked over to the doors on the opposite side of the medbay. He slammed a heavy fist on the button attached to the wall, causing the doors to retract with a quick flash.

The medic in charge pulled back as three people crashed onto the floor with resounding clangs and yelps. The fourth and by far the largest caught the frame just in time to avoid falling in the pile. Unsympathetic to the groans from the mechs who'd just gotten comfortable to ease drop, Ratchet hauled First Aid up and then yanked Wheeljack from the bottom. Giving those two critical looks as well as glowering at a sheepish Skyfire and Perceptor, he grumbled loud enough for all to hear, "Gossiping idiots." In the background, Sunstreaker and Sideswipe snorted while Shay rolled her eyes.

"Alright you lot," Rumbled the white and red medbot, "We have work to do."

"Yes!" Wheeljack fist pumped, audio finials glowing bright tangerine in excitement. A muttering of 'oh brother' from the human could just barely be caught by cybertronian audio receptors. This was going to be just loads of fun.


	25. Chapter 25

Fun fact: Police vehicles used to be called 'prowl' cars.

.

.

.

Two sides faced off on the flat downtrodden ground only a few hundred yards from the Ark. There was little doubt that Red Alert's cameras were watching the entire thing, cannons aimed at the Decepticons should they take one wrong step. Hard optics of crimson and ultramarine flickered at every little movement as servos itched to grab their guns. Finally, the tallest Autobot present stepped forward. Bodies on the opposing side instinctively flinched back, save for one dark blue mech. Soundwave strode ahead as Optimus did the same. They met only a yard apart as the warriors behind shifted uneasily.

"My tracker." The Prime rumbled dangerously.

In some cases, Megatron and Optimus were similar. Both determinately holding their ground, tenacious, strong and willing to make personal sacrifices to get where they wanted. But in other instances they were opposite sides of the same coin. Where the warlord threw out his forces as a show of brute strength and disregarded those who fell or failed him, the once-cargo hauler did not. Optimus was protectively loyal to his own.

"One-hundred and twenty-five cubes of energon, as agreed." The masked officer droned statically, carnelian optic visor watching the large red and blue bot seemingly without emotion.

Seeing a nod from their leader, Inferno, Ironhide, and the Twins pushed out a couple of trolleys stacked with glowing pink cubes, iridescent rainbow shine glimmering along the planes of the glass containers. Soundwave gave a silent command of his own and Vortex strode through the throng. Tossed over his left shoulder was the prisoner, slumped and hanging limp. Snarls echoed lowly from the Autobots, although Optimus kept his emotions in check and optics on Soundwave. Vortex slung Hound off him and dropped the jeep on the grass with a clang, a grunt spilling from the bot who appeared to be at least partially conscious. Tensions flew higher, taunt as violin strings as the bots studied every single move the cons made with narrowed gazes. Armor flared in aggression.

Stalking away from the main group, Ratchet headed toward the Autobot leader and stopped just behind to the left of him. He took in Hound's conditions before glancing up to glare at Vortex, optics flashing white although he kept his temper in check. For the moment.

The helicopter slunk back just in case. Cybertronian armies put a lot of stock in how dangerous medics were. They knew countless ways to kill someone without strength or force, easily destroying from the inside out. A medic could turn a mech's own body against him or paralyze with just the snipping of a cord or particular wire. Not to mention protective protocols made them downright terrifying if they thought there was a threat to their patient. This was enough that the healers were highly respected and sometimes feared. It paid with your life not to get on a medic's hit list. And early in the war the Decepticons had learned the hard way not to piss off the Autobot CMO.

Optimus gestured towards the trolleys, "One-hundred and twenty-five. Now return Hound." That kind of tone got mech's moving, leaving no room to argue lest there be serious consequences. A nod from the con Communications Officer and several anonymous seekers relinquished the cubes from the Autobots. Hissing at the fliers, the lambo twins stalked over to flank the medic. As soon as the tape deck retreated to go count the cubes, Ratchet surged forward to check over the bot, Sunstreaker and Sideswipe covering him. They'd already lost a comrade once, they weren't letting it happen again soon.

Hound for the matter was in quite a state. A sloppy patch had been slapped over the hole on both sides of his chassis but energon still leaked sluggishly out from under the edges of the plates. Dents and crumpled edges of armor adorned his scratched up frame. What concerned the med-bot the most was the dazed expression and flickering dull optics, as the jeep sat on the ground and stared off into nothing save the rising of the morning sun.

"Hound?" Ratchet murmured quietly, carefully checking the deeper wounds and noting the slight damage on the tracker's helm.

He seemed to wake up a bit more, turning his face toward the medic, "Ratch...?" A slurred gargle filled with puzzlement.

"Yes yes. You're safe. You're outside the Ark."

The ambulance's optics quickly flickered around to memorize all the injuries and pulled out a welder. As soon as he made sure the wound was sealed and Hound stable, then they could retreat to the safety of the medbay. His fingers barely touched the patch when Hound lunged.

With a snarl, the bot bared his denta savagely and threw a punch at the mech. Only Sunstreaker shoving forward to catch the fist stopped it from smashing into Ratchet's faceplates. Hound thrashed, his other servo scrambling for a blaster he no longer had. Neatly turning and pinning the bot face down, Ratchet's fingers moved in a flash to open the back of the jeep's helm. Within seconds the processor was exposed and the medic swiftly pushed loose things back into place, soldering together snapped wiring. Immediately, Hound relaxed and Sunstreaker let go of his servo but stayed right there in case he lashed out again.

Sideswipe hefted up his missile launcher and glared at the cons that stopped moving and counting energon to watch and snicker. The frontliner gave a manic smile of his own, all denta and murderous promise if they came too close.

"Can you focus better now?" Ratchet turned Hound's faceplates to study his expression before backing off a few inches. The distant look was replaced with sharp intelligence and recognition.

A groan, "Yeah. Sorry. Thanks doc."

"Hrm," The white and red mech muttered something under his breath and pulled a cord out of his wrist to attach to Hound's. Carefully checking to make sure his own firewalls were secure, Ratchet patched in and scrolled through the diagnostics flashing in front of his optics. However, he didn't find what he expected. There were no viruses.

Detaching, he sent a quick comm link to Prowl and stood. With a gesture, the medic got the Twins to help Hound up. Let the other officers deal with the problem. His main concern and job was Hound's health. If they needed his medical advice on something, they'd call him. Aloud he ordered briskly, "To the medbay with you. That patch won't hold and who knows what all is slagged up with your internals."

At the entrance of the Ark, Prowl stood straight with doorwings held at a high angle and flared enough so that he seemed to be a sentinel for the door, watching everything in their "yard" occur. Optimus strode over as the last of the cons flew off with the energon cubes. Bots passed the officers and headed inside to spread the news to those on shift that Hound was back. Ratchet and his patient walked among them. The medic didn't slow but his optics bore into the other officer's long enough to get the point across and then he was in the base, bellowing at others to move out of his way so Hound could be taken to the medical bay.

The tactician turned back to the landscape as the clouds overhead slowly lost the rosy golden hue the morning sun had gifted them with, "Hound does not have any viruses."

"That was too easy." Prime sighed tiredly. Only a few hours into the day and it had already become long. No viruses. The cons barely harmed their captive, tried to get rid of him as soon as they had him and hadn't tried to cheat the bots out of more energon. Megatron hadn't even argued that hard when the bargaining for the cubes occurred. It didn't add up. The Decepticons had broken their pattern and it left the Autobots feeling uneasy. "Have Ratchet check again, in case it's a sleeper virus."

Prowl nodded as Optimus turned away to go in. Still standing at the post, the Praxian surveyed the area before following. Too easy indeed.

Soon enough however, they were once again gathered. Several mechs were already in there as Jazz waltzed through the door of the conference room; Prowl, Red Alert, and Optimus. Ironhide stomped in behind Jazz and was followed closely by Blaster. The tall Communications officer gave the Porsche a warm slap on the back before taking his seat. Only Ratchet and Wheeljack did not join, busy working.

Optimus started with fingers tapping the table and a glance given to the TIC who'd requested the meeting, "I take it you have something?"

"Yes sir boss-bot," Pulling out the datapad, Jazz plugged it into the terminal in the middle of the table. The raised oval parted to reveal glass underneath, lighting up and projecting data into the air. Text hovered in short paragraphs, swirled in elegant script, while images aligned themselves around an invisible cylinder. They rotated slowly around so everyone sitting at the table could see. "Seems we got somethin' interestin'."

Within the slightly rough image captures, taken from various far vantage points, lay a large and very solid looking door. It was planted firmly into cave walls with a massive cross-section on the top of the frame. Even as they watched, one of the images became a motion picture. Scavenger rolled up to the doors, pausing for a moment and then drive forward as the panels parted in admittance. The Autobots could just barely see another door within.

"Cameras here, here, here, and here. Possibly more." Red Alert pointed out on the screen. His finger focused on the stone walls on either side of the entrance, "And lasers on top of the framing. No idea what security is on the second door."

Grumbles echoed from Ironhide's engine as the red bot leaned forward towards the pictures, "We can take it."

"Not until we have more information. As of right now, there is most likely a nasty surprise on the other side we have no knowledge of." Objected Prowl, transferring a copy of the report onto his own datapad. Optimus finished reading through the floating holographic text and ruminated for a moment before looking to Jazz.

"And you have no idea of what they're up to?"

Unfortunately, the Special Operations mech didn't, "They been up tah somethin' fer awhile now but 'asides the crates we don't got no leads. And we're not sure what they were diggin' fer in Peru." Jazz glanced at Blaster but the red and yellow bot shook his helm.

"We've had our audios open. No chit-chat on open lines except the regular buzz. A few complaints about the normal groups being a bit split but that's all."

Optics still trained on the pad, Prowl added in, "Wheeljack and the others have not gotten far on finding the purpose of the materials and that progress has slowed now that the situation with the Twins has come to light. However, they are near certain that the contents of the crates are for two different purposes. Otherwise, according to them, the materials together make no sense."

"'Least we know why they were so quick tah get rid ah Hound." Red servos clenched into fists as the weapon specialist growled. He was not happy with the situation but the fact that the tracker was no longer in the Decepticon's hands eased the tension slightly. Still, a slight twitch on the inside of his plating nagged him. Ironhide had learned long ago to pay attention when that twitch started. It meant something bad was going to go down soon.

Optimus agreed, rubbing his nose plating, "They wanted to keep us from looking too closely at them, and accidentally finding whatever they were up to." A weary vent blew out silently. Was it a bad thing that he was thankful that their enemies were too busy plotting their demise to cause serious harm to his men?

"Regardless, we should be grateful that Hound is alive and recovering. Ratchet just sent reports that he'll be fine." Relieved sighs expelled through the room as the tension from yesterday finally left. Prime continued, "And we need to know what they are building and planning. Jazz, gather information so tactical can formulate a plan."

A firm salute from Jazz, "Ah'll get mah team an' we'll scope so Hide an' dah others can do they're thin'."

The Prime nodded before turning to his tactician to see if he had anything to add. Noting the head shake, the semi excused the special ops from the meeting, "Only reconnaissance and information gathering for now, and then we'll go from there."

"I believe we need to add motion and heat sensors to the main entrance and the back of the base!" Chimed in the Security Director adamantly. The Constructicons digging through the volcano to get to the Ark once had made Red fearful that they would try again. A chuckle slipped out of Jazz's lips. The mech started thinking over the upcoming job, sweeping out the door to find his team and tell them they'd be heading out. Mirage would be back soon and then they could get on with planning fun things. Missions didn't make themselves after all.

* * *

"Is he alright?" The young man's worried hazel eyes refused to leave Prowl's blue orbs, although they were strolling down the hall. A dip of a crested helm from the black and white Praxian.

"Yes. The wound to the midsection was not fatal and Ratchet has repaired him. Hound is still recovering but I believe he is relaxing in the recreation room if you would like to speak with him."

Spike nodded and gave a tired smile, "Dad and I were so worried. Hell of a time to take a trip."

"You could not have known." Doorwings tilted slightly to the side as they changed course to head for the rec room. Faint musical notes echoed from the doors ahead, "I would also like to make it known that we have a human guest, Miss Shay Carpenter, who will be staying in the human quarters for an undetermined length of time."

"Oh?" Brows crept up, "Guardians?"

"Yes. Sideswipe and Sunstreaker." The tactician ignored the way Spike's eyes widened and then narrowed in concentration. Hesitantly he mumbled.

"Isn't she the one that brought them back?"

Another nod. Dread for the fear of another prankster on base made the man speak up, "And they get along?" By now the hum of conversation stirred the air ahead and it was easier to pick out the beat residing behind thick metal walls. Prowl paused in answering as there was a shout. They entered the rec room to see a few bots at the tables sipping cubes, Hound sitting on the far side in front of the TV watching the nature channel and a short human female glaring death with a side of murder at a looming amber colored lamborghini. Atop the table she was standing upon sat an old stereo playing a lilting light tune of interwoven piano music. Bumblebee had been the one to bring the old music player in the room quite awhile ago and it had yet to leave.

"I don't care if the lyrics have 'sunshine' in them. It's not your name and I can listen to whatever damn song I want!" The woman crossed her arms with a snarl and stood not inches from the frontliner whose armor was slowly flaring out in irritation.

"They get along just fine." Prowl murmured, finally answering Spike's question. The man gazed up with an incredulous look as the door-winged mech barked the Twin's names. Until now, Sideswipe had been leaning back with an entertained smile, enjoying the banter.

"Hey Spike, Prowl." He waved at the young man and got a grin in return. It was hard not to get caught up in the prankster's cheerful moods sometimes. Shay spun sharply away from Sunny, turning off the stereo, and hopped onto the red brother's lap before jumping to the floor. Ignoring the catcall from Sideswipe, the woman stalked over to Spike and studied the man up and down. Worn and grease stained jeans barely covered nice tennis shoes, a buttoned shirt hanging loosely over tanned skin marked here and there with light scars. Very messy light brown hair crowned his head and rough hands showed he spent quite a bit of time outside and possibly did some hard labor for a job. If this was the man the Twins had mentioned, then he would be a mechanic. Letting a dry tone enter his voice, Prowl interrupted her examination by questioning the warriors.

"Don't you two have a short patrol with Trailbreaker in approximately three minutes?" A pout stole away the cheerful grin on Sideswipe's face as the frontliners grumbled and trudged out the door with weary boredom. The female frowned up at Prowl.

"I though they were currently restricted to the Ark?"

Doorwings flicked in agreement, "Correct. However, part of their punishment is extra patrol shifts close to base with an escort." The mech paused as the confusion on her face cleared away, "And how are you adjusting?"

Truthfully, the Ark took some getting used too. In the last twenty-four hours the woman had met enough new people to make her anti-social side shriek in panic. Shay was fairly certain she wasn't going to remember everyone's name or face or even all the rules. But Shay was adapting. Picking up little pieces and nuances here and there on this strange base. Baby steps, like any new experience. Time would tell if she would adjust or not.

So she answered truthfully, "I'm a normal person caught in a ridiculous situation with ridiculous people."

Guffaws of laughter shot out of Mr. Witwicky, turning into coughs as he tried to cover his mouth with a hand. Glee sparkling in his eyes, the young man looked to Prowl, "That sounds familiar."

The mech vented a tiny sigh of exasperation, "Some days..." Whatever the Datsun was thinking went unfinished as he bent down to gesture carefully at the male, "Miss Carpenter-"

"Shay." A vexed expression.

"Of course, my apologies for forgetting. Shay, one of our first human contacts, Spike Witwicky. Spike, Shay." The man stuck out a callused hand and smiled as Shay politely shook. Introductions now over, Prowl straightened. "I am needed elsewhere. If there are any problems Miss- ahem. Shay, then feel free to come into my office to discuss it with me at any time. Spike." With a nod to them both, the Praxian turned on his heels and left, leaving the two humans to converse. A look akin to embarrassment crossed her face.

"I do believe someone mentioned your name before... Uh Bee, I think his name was. Horned yellow minibot. He was very nice."

Spike's face lit up with easy-going cheer, "Bumblebee. He's been my guardian for a long time. Prowl tells me you're the same one who brought the Twins back last Autumn. I never got to speak with you then." He stuck his hands in the pockets of his jeans and seemed relaxed. Shay on the other hand was not. Twinges of unease threaded through her core as the woman nodded, not liking the subject. She'd been regretting her decision since she'd made it and yet it kept coming back like a hungry stray.

"Yeah, I left pretty quick." What else could she say to that?

Perhaps Spike picked up on how uncomfortable she was. Whatever the case, he offered her a way out, "Well, I'm going to go see Hound. Would you like to come too?" She shook her head, already having spoken to the tracker earlier, "It was nice meeting you. Anyone who can stand up to Sunstreaker and live is courageous in my book. And don't hesitate to ask if you get lost around here. It took me forever to get used to it."

"I'll be sure to do that. Thank you." A murmur in reply as he waved and headed toward the other side of the huge room.

A sigh of relief blew out as the woman herself started to leave. Finally some time away from the people and their questions. It seemed everywhere she turned was someone wanting to meet her and talk and it was driving her crazy. But now the woman could be alone for a bit. Maybe she could go back to the guest room and read a book or sit outside. Exploring the immediate woods would make her feel better. And it wouldn't be so claustrophobic like in here with huge empty spaces...

"Heya lil lady."

Damn it. Damn it damn it damn it. Shay's mouth clamped down before the curse could leave her lips. There goes the relaxing plans.

Turning showed a very familiar frame looked down at her with a devilish but delighted grin, "Hello Jazz."

Blue visor winking in the light, the Porsche crouched and held out his palm in an offer to give her a ride. Curiously, the tips of his servos were pointed. Shay was starting to pick up on the fact that most Autobots had rounded digits while a select few had sharp ones. Although Jazz's weren't nearly as deadly as the ones on that Decepticon, Skywarp, that had grabbed her. Maybe the edges were useful for fighting.

"You seem tah be all by yerself. Bored? Ah gotta game but nobodeh tah play with." The woman frowned at the innocuous expression on the black and white bot's face. "Surely there are others who could play with you?"

Jazz exaggerated a defeated pout, playing up his dilemma in a comedic way, "Most ah dah others are buseh an' ahm off shift. Pretteh please?" His lower lip trembled in almost authentic sorrow while the bot's shoulders drooped. Shay sighed. This guy was almost worse than Sideswipe.

"What are we playing?"

"Chess! Yah know how?" The woman nodded and stepped into the waiting palm. Before she could so much as blink, the Porsche was up and moving out the door. A brief shout of 'woah!' from the human was left in the dust as Jazz bustled down the hall and out the front of the Ark. Warm sunlight beat down, rays breathing across her face to compete with birdsong and a light clattering of branches for her attention. Strands of wind tugged at her unbound hair as the bot turned this way and that before finding a spot to his liking. Sitting her down on the grass, Jazz pulled out a large wooden box and flopped down on his chest plates. 'At least we're outside.' Shay mentally relented as she settled on her butt and watched the mech pull out a slightly larger then normal board and plastic pieces at least five inches long.

"White or black?" The mech with those colors asked, servos hovering over the pile. Still frowning, the woman shrugged. "Your choice... Jazz, why ask me to play? I'm fairly certain there are others off duty that you could have asked."

A sharp smile was her reply as he shoved the whites toward her and lined his up on the board, "But then how am ah supposed tah get tah know yah? I'm a social mech, darlin'. Friends with ever'bot."

She snorted and settled the last piece in place. They were surprisingly light and most likely hollow. Jazz waited as she slid her first pawn forward and he did the same. It was quite nice out in the early summer weather as the two contestants focused on the game. Finally, after moving a knight to take his pawn, Shay spoke up.

"I have a question."

He looked up and tilted his visor at her, "Shoot."

The woman watched his move while pulling off her tennis shoes and setting them to the side. Shifting to allow more blood flow to her legs, she queried, "Do you have any suggestions for dealing with my confinement to the Ark? I would prefer not to rely on all of you for food and such. If it's possible to get a job nearby, I could still stay at base while supporting myself."

"Ah don't see why ya can't. Prowler's gonna be your best bet. Get im on yer side an' he'll help yah with da Hatchet." Jazz snickered at her eye roll for the nickname before taking a pawn and placing it in the growing pile at the side of the board, "We gotta lot of fun stuff comin' up. Don't know if the Twins mentioned or not, but Carly's b-day is gonna be here in 'bout three weeks."

"Spike's wife?" Bishop to C4.

Foot waving back and forth to an indolent rhythm, the saboteur's legs curled up, "Yep. Ah think you'll like 'er. She's a spitfire too." He laughed at her grumble and moved one of his rooks diagonally. Calming his chuckles, he continued chatting.

"Then after dat we got fireworks in July. You'll love 'em better 'an the spring ones. Wheeljack helps with these and maaaaaaaaaan are they a sight tah see."

The mech's visor was firmly tilted down but there was no telling where his optics were. Maybe he noticed the miniscule freeze in Shay's posture as she pulled her hand back from the board. Maybe he didn't. Regardless, the woman was suddenly very grateful for the stone mask that she'd adopted after years of practice. Blank, bored, and impersonal. Nothing to give away in those faded azure eyes. Although one could almost hear the thoughts whirling around like a stirred up hive inside. Jazz moved again, knight to F6 and precariously close to her king.

Her sudden quiet was not remarked upon as Shay's mind moved a mile a minute. Finally, her queen took his knight. Blatant rage made itself apparent in her expression, mouth pulling into a snarl and brows narrowed to a glare. She took the conversation down an errant path and hissed quietly.

"How many events and people did you manipulate to get me into this base?"

Dead silence. The grin turned into another pout, Jazz staring at her as if she'd struck him, "That's real paranoid Shay. And ah thought Sides was exaggeratin'." She stared back at him with reptilian cold eyes, not believing it. Still looking quite sad, the Porsche moved his king to a safer position.

"What _is_ the likelihood of Bluestreak showing up at the warehouse during one of the few times the Twins were too far away to be a problem? While I was there?" Ice hissed through her voice, fists clenched around the fabric of her light jacket. The visored mech seemed to think about it for a moment.

"Pretteh low ahm guessing." He slid a figure over and took her last rook.

Blue eyes frosted and narrowed beneath the warmth of the sun, "Did you convince Sideswipe to call me?"

Now. Now there was a smile. A terribly entertained and delighted mischievous look that she'd seen quite often on Sideswipe's face and once on Sunstreaker. Somehow it was slightly more terrifying on the shorter mech. "Nah femme. He was all set tah do that himself. You all woulda done things yerself."

"But you gave things a push." She stole another pawn.

It wasn't obvious, not in the least. But Jazz had known that she and the Twins had gone to see the fireworks and Shay hadn't told a soul about that. She was certain the Twin's hadn't either. So the little Autobot had been spying on them. And then there was timing. If Jazz had known before the others, then it stood to reason that he'd had something to do with Bluestreak showing up when he had. Otherwise the timing was just too _perfect_. Just how much had been pushed and pulled by this mech? Pawns. Pawns and puppets doing a choreographed dance across a board to get where he wanted.

There were three things that had always made Shay angry. Control and restraint by others, as well as manipulation. To take a phrase from the Twins, Primus help anyone who manipulated her. And everything had been planned, down to her "accidentally" finding out. Special ops didn't accidentally spill anything. He'd been playing her, before she even knew there was a game in play.

"I'll admit you were bein' a _little_ slow. Just said a thing or two 'bout how he should stop avoidin' whatever was buggin' 'em." A toothy grin and his knight moved. Check. "'Sides, they were actin' off a'fore you got here. Now they ain't."

"Off how?" Worry knotted her gut. Sunstreaker and Sideswipe had just mentioned those echoes, nothing else. She took another pawn.

A shrug, "Sunny was angrier. Avoidin' folk more. Sides wasn't as cheerful. Their usual stunts an' pranks weren't up tah their standard." Lazily lifting his shoulders again, he grabbed one of her pawns in retaliation. Shay felt the anger dissolving in light of this revelation as she attempted to reign in the ambivalent emotions and shut them below. The woman hadn't thought that the Twins had been affected by her absence all that much. Apparently she was wrong. Quietly, the spy let out a low murmur, "They hid it well."

"Did you know the whole time?" Jazz didn't answer as her eyes bore holes in the board, "Why do this?"

The visored mech grinned cheerfully again, flashing his denta as he ended his turn. "Ahm the official morale booster. It's mah duty tah look out fer folk, especially mah friends. They're happier now." That wasn't what she'd meant. The woman wanted to know why he'd let her understand she'd been played, or was it just her reaction he'd wished to see? Her queen moved into position to take the knight. His piece moved across the squares. Checkmate. Standing, the saboteur gave a shallow bow.

"Yer good tah play against. No heart on yer sleeve and yah keep yer secrets close tah yer chest. That was an interestin' game"

Shay let out a thin brief smile that wavered and disappeared into a distant frown almost as soon as it came. She moved to set the pieces back in the box, "Yes."

He knelt down to help but paused to press a finger to his right audio. Mirage's confirmation at returning to base made the Porsche frown in seriousness and straighten again. Back to planning missions and filling in his team then. The woman waited and watched with guarded eyes, still placing things back in the box until finally Jazz huffed, "Sorry lil lady, looks like ah gotta go. Officer stuff an' all."

"I'll put this away." Shay folded the large board until it was a thick square.

He nodded in appreciation, "Leave it in Prowler's office. Technically it's his anyways. Thank fer playin'. Till next time." With a two-fingered salute, the mech whirled and trotted off back into the Ark. Shay tracked his movements with dull shaded eyes before finishing her task, save for one pawn. One shiny black plastic figure rolled back and forth in her hands.

She'd calmed considerable now that she knew why he'd done it. Hell, if it hadn't involved manipulating her then she probably would have helped, because the end result was good for the Twins. Thinking about it, the woman supposed that he hadn't done that much. Just hurried them along. They would have ended up at this point anyways and Jazz had just been trying to help his comrades. Shay could appreciate that, just not his methods. Stupid special ops and spies.

A glimmer of a razor sharp smile flashed across her face before disappearing while she stood, the pawn still held in a hand.

Several hours and many plans later, the mech paused in entering his quarters, fully intent on taking a quick recharge before heading out for recon. But the panels on the keypad looked just off center and tampered with. Alarms immediately going off in Jazz's mind, he opened the door and slid in with a careful and slow grace. A knife in one hand and the other straying towards his subspaced blaster, the dim visor scanned the room before stopping in the middle. His limbs relaxed.

Hanging from the ceiling by a rope was a black plastic pawn.

Jazz threw back his head and laughed.

* * *

Every single time Shay had ended up speaking with Ratchet, crazy or tense situations were going on. So it was really a matter of circumstance that the two kept butting heads.

Not to say Shay didn't respect the CMO, she did quite a bit. The woman wouldn't admit that the sarcastic biting tones and general snarkery at everyone and everything was amusing, or the fact that nothing really seemed to faze him. Ratchet just huffed and puffed and snapped while fixing the problem before moving on and rumbling about how he never got any time to relax. He had his spark in the right place while being ornery. Blunt honesty which she appreciated greatly.

That just didn't stop the two from trying to insult the living daylights out of each other. When two immovable forces collide, the end result is the same as tectonic plates crashing.

"Watch your tongue." A harsh look on unamused light gray faceplates.

Shay placed her hands on her hips as she stood in the medbay, refraining from cussing out the medic. Again. Ratchet had insisted she come in so he could do another quick scan, and yet every time they spoke it somehow turned to scornful reproach. "I cannot. It's in my mouth. If however, you want me to use less vulgar language then perhaps you should do so yourself."

"Oh great, another smart-aft." He mimicked her stance and gave a vitriolic bark, "Now get up on this medberth so I can scan you."

Blue eyes narrowed and the woman gave a borderline hostile glance before slowly climbing up. Apparently it wasn't fast enough for the medic who picked her up around the middle before setting the woman at her destination. Once standing, she calmly drew her slingshot out from her jacket and hit Ratchet's shoulder with a marble. Glass shattered and ricocheted across the room. When the woman had gone to get "necessary" items with Bluestreak, she'd added her small weapon to the list. And it was needed. What else was one little human supposed to use to get her way when on a ship full of metal giants?

"What the frag!?" He pulled back in surprise and roared, "What in Primus' name do you think you're doing?!"

"You did not ask before manhandling me. Don't do it again."

Atmosphere colored optics sharpened to glittering white and the bot's frame coiled like a spring, "Do. Not. SHOOT ME, in my Own MEDBAY!" What had started deadly soft turned into an enraged bellow as Shay gave him an unimpressed expression. At the back of the room, the doors parted and Wheeljack breezed in. Audio finials lit up as a soft blue.

"Um... Am I interrupting?"

Ratchet snarled 'Yes' at the same instant the human monotoned 'No'. Glaring, the ambulance whirled around to grab the equipment. Wheeljack snickered and glanced at Shay before bending down to study her. The woman had quickly become his new focus of attention for the time being and the inventor was quite eager to puzzle out everything they could on this 'empathy link'. He questioned in delight, "Annoying Ratchet?"

Shay shrugged and kept her lips sealed so as to refrain from saying 'He started it.' That would be too childish. Instead, she commented on her behavior, "I haven't been as angry now that Sunstreaker and Sideswipe are here. My eyes haven't glowed at all since yesterday."

"Hmm," A dark gray servo rubbed the blast mask in thoughtfulness, "You know, they don't really glow. They're just reflecting light seventy-five percent more efficiently than a normal human."

A blink. She frowned fiercely, "I don't understand."

Wheeljack perked up, excited for a chance to talk science, "While your pupils haven't changed shape, the rods and cones that make up your irises shifted to allow more light to enter your pupils or

reflect it back. I'm pretty sure the change happened because your body was trying to copy the Twins, or rather, a cybertronian's. Energy is rerouted into our optical sensors during extreme emotions to help us bring our surrounding into focus more, say if we were in a fight. It's quite useful really. And the fact that your body tried to do the same without your conscious awareness is extremely interesting." The woman was going to scream if she heard anyone say 'interesting' (or in Perceptor's case, 'fascinating') again.

"But my eyes look normal when I'm not really angry." She protested, still mentally reviewing everything the Lancia had just said.

The mainly white bot with red and green stripes shrugged nonchalantly, "Well of course you wouldn't notice. This is all microscopic."

Ratchet came over and she automatically spread her arms so he could use the scanner. Studying the flat screen and wavelengths, he joined the conversation absentmindedly, "I believe your optical sensors started altering soon after you were around the Twin's sparks and finished after you left. You said they ached for awhile and you were very sick before getting better. My current theory is the time you were at your worst was when your body was finishing altering itself to accommodate these changes." He muttered something else under his breath while moving away.

At that moment, an onyx black and horned helm stuck itself through the doors on the right, "Shaaaaayyyyyyyy..."

"Yes, yes. You can have your human back. Scat." The medic waved a servo at Sideswipe while turning away to pull up data on a large screen attached to the wall. Sides whooped and grinned with the pointed parts of his denta showing. A huff of amused exasperation came from the female as the red bot snagged her before running back out the door.

Wheeljack looked at the closed entrance way for a few seconds before studying the medic. Tension running along his frame like invisible steel wire gave a glimpse towards his mood. Silently, the inventor came up behind him and placed a hand on his arm. Concern colored his tone.

"Ratchet...?"

Shoulders sagged but the mech's optics stared resolutely at the glass screen, refusing to look at his friend, "'Jack, I know you don't often help with repairs... Do you ever get that feeling when you start fixing someone but feel like there is something really really wrong?"

The masked mech said nothing for a moment and digested the question, "...You have that feeling?"

"Yes. The more I study this... The more I think we're already sunk."


	26. Chapter 26

Music: Atlas Plug – Infiltrate This

* * *

'_You sure we can't leave explosives by the doors?'_

_'As much as that could aid the others for a raid later, there is little place to hide the incendiary devices.'_ A clipped reply from Mirage as the once-noble answered Bumblebee. Unfortunately, it was the truth. With the carved tunnel smoothed from wall to floor to ceiling, anything bigger then a penny lying around would be noticed.

Their commanding officer broke in, _'Sorry tah be ah downer but OP said recon only fer now.'_ Muttering and sighs traveled down the comm link. Crouched farther back in the more natural part of the cave, Jazz smirked at his team's enthusiasm for sabotage. In the secluded shadows of the stalagmites and without light from his visor, the special operations mech was just as invisible as Mirage was by the doors of the Constructicon's lab. Letting a serious frown overtake his features in the dark, Jazz spoke once more.

_'ETA on second entrance?'_

The yellow and black minibot outside continued to investigate the mountainside with Blaster on his heels. While the tall red and yellow cassette carrier wasn't exactly special ops material, he was very useful for keeping Soundwave out of their communication lines and therefore necessary until they found out if the con officer was here or not. '_Unknown sir. I don't see anything out of the ordinary.'_

_'Keep looking. They prolly disguised it as somethin' else.'_

_'If there is one.'_ Mirage tacked on.

Jazz got an affirmative from Bee before staring down the main tunnel. Five hundred yards was as near as he could get without being detected by scanners and cameras. But the bot wasn't comfortable sending one of his infiltrators alone to the proverbial lion's den without an escape plan or backup. So the Porsche settled for crouching as close as possible and waiting. _'Raj?'_

_'The keypad has a hundred digit code password.'_ Studying the lit up keys on a small screen, the invisible blue and white racer answered, _'An identification analyzer as well. I can try to hack in.'_

Very dark cobalt servos hovered over the glass keypad but pulled back as Jazz cut in quickly, _'Incoming Scavenger!'_

Closer to the outside entrance, the black and white spy pulled all his limbs into a somewhat tight but still easily maneuverable position and pressed himself against a rock column. Low engine rumbles echoed through the pillared space before a pair of dim lights set one end of the tunnel aglow. By the second, the light grew brighter and brighter until yellow headlights rounded the corner and a green excavator drove past towards the more structured and clear part of the chamber. The con kicked up quite a bit of dust in his wake but didn't see the special ops only a few feet to his left.

Silence as Jazz waited. Finally, Mirage sent a quick message, _'I'll follow him through.'_ Sending an affirmative, the spymaster relaxed in his hunkered down position and prepared to be there awhile.

By the large entrance doors, the Constructicon rolled into the invisible bot's view and transformed. Lasers on top of the door frame shifted and pointed at Scavenger, following his every move. Humming something under his facemask, the heavily armored mech typed in the code and was scanned for identification. A confirmatory green light flashed on the glass panel and the lasers returned to their position facing the tunnel.

Not wasting any time as the access doors parted, the spy silently stalked behind the Decepticon. Scavenger would have been completely unprepared, muttering to himself about useful materials and such. The opportunity was there, but Mirage didn't stab or shoot. Leaving bodies was a big clue that someone was in your base after all. Instead, the Ligier racer entered the room that held the secondary doorway.

One second to see the entrance only several yards away and notice the large amount of space on either side.

Another second to gaze in horror at the two huge barrels pointed at his direction. And the unaware con of course, but that was unimportant to the Autobot. If memory served right, pulse cannons tended to have heat detectors added onto their target systems. Unnecessary for a weapon meant to punch holes through fortress walls, but irrevocably nasty for finding targets hidden in city ruins. Or guarding entrances.

The third second passed with the gigantic cannons nearly twice his size starting up. Charge crackled along the cylinders as the oversized guns whined and shifted to get a better fix on him. Mirage made a snap decision and lunged backward. He barely made it out as the first entrance way slammed shut. It nearly severed his left foot. With a graceful catch, the spy landed in a crouch and stood to brush

himself off. The comm link crackled to life.

_'Raj, status?'_

Giving a snarl of disgust to the door, the bot answered with a thick noble accent to show just how frustrated he was, _'Out. They have __pulse cannons__ on the other side.'_

_'Are you kidding me?!'_ Blaster huffed in disbelief. An unseen sneer answered him in a polite tone as chilly as icicles. '_I am afraid not.'_ Bumblebee muttered something the others didn't catch while Jazz winced.

_'Guess Prowler was right. They do got somethin' nasty.'_

The tape deck outside was not amused in the least, _'When the frag did they get pulse cannons?! And how?! Their space bridge has been totaled for months and I haven't heard a thing about it being fixed.'_

_'Sir?'_ Mirage queried, still by the doors. The commanding officer sighed and bid the race car to retreat to his position. Jazz stretched slightly in the dim cavern before speaking to everyone, '_Now now, let's not grumble. We still got cards to play. Bee, Voice?'_ The invisible bot came around the corner and slowly decloaked now that he was out of view of the cameras. Jazz lowered the rifle aimed at the mech but didn't turn his visor away from the ceiling. He hadn't even looked over when he'd aimed at his subordinate.

_'Steeljaw's found another entrance, if it's an entrance at all. Looks a little small. I think it's an exhaust system actually...'_ Blaster's voice took on a slightly smug overlay at his cassette's accomplishment.

A good natured complaint followed, _'I would have found it in a minute. Was going to check their next.'_

_'Not doubting you Buzzer.'_ The tall mech replied with a chuckle.

Inside the mountain, Jazz continued to study the small lights inter spaced here and there in the rocky ceiling. It was extremely dim and the tiny glowing yellow strips only really started near the big tunnel. But there were still a few just out of the camera's reach. Mirage watched carefully as Jazz stood and dug his servos into the rock. Sharp metal tines popped out of his palms and feet, allowing the smaller bot to steadily scale the wall until he was upside down and clinging to stalagmites. With a quiet order for his companion to keep lookout, the CO started to pull wires out of a light fixture and play with them. _'How small we talkin' mechs?'_

_'Blaster can't fit, but I think the rest of us can. Not sure about you Mirage. You might be too tall.'_ Out on the tree and rock covered slope, the horned minibot carefully examined the hole hidden in an alcove. It was nearly invisible under a little overhang and set so low on the ground.

Giving a curt reply, Mirage sighed, _'It is a good thing I am not claustrophobic.'_

Whatever Jazz was doing was nearly finished. Briefly, the Porsche hooked the wires up to a small device in his palm before giving a wonderfully amused smile and putting everything back into place. The blue and white bot did not ask what he was doing as the Commander climbed down. When it came to special ops, you could never have too many options and Jazz was undoubtedly just putting a few more things in their favor.

_'Alright mah mechs. Gimme a few an' we'll be joinin' yah outside. We're goin' in.'_

* * *

Shay immediately knew something was wrong. Many a bot, including Sideswipe and Sunstreaker, had been called away several hours ago when reports of Decepticons raiding solar power stations in the Sahara had come through Teletran-1. As soon as Skyfire came into range carrying the bots, painful twinges started to run all over the woman's body. A persisting ache in her left arm had Shay gritting her teeth as she fled her room and raced through the halls, sneakers sliding with a squeal on the flat polished metal.

A ruckus ahead drew her and turning the corner showed several Autobots either limping or holding servos over their wounds as they entered the repair center. Shay hissed suddenly and clutched her arm as fire raced up it. Ignoring the sting, she edged around the tromping feet and into the room.

The full force of sound and frenzied activity bore down on her like a lion lunging at it's prey. Heavy acrid scents of scorched metal and burning things bloomed inside. Sand and grit showered off the giant's armor to crunch underfoot and turn to a fine dust that stuck to everything in a pale brown layer. Loud chatter and complaints flew overhead as people settled themselves on berths or on the floor by the walls. For a moment, it was entirely overwhelming. Sound faded in and out like a bad radio connection and her mind blanked. Shaking herself back to the loud chaotic mess of reality, Shay quickly moved out the way. A few bots noticed the human as she jumped around them and dodged people, blue optics watching sharp and curious in the quickly filling space.

_Pain. Caution._

There near the back were her twins. Sunstreaker sat on a medberth and pressed himself flush against the wall. In his lap lay his nearly severed left arm while angry optics continually flickered around the room. He was a mess of scratches and dents, energon splashed here and there on crumpled armor. Only a few strong bits of wire and tubing connected the arm to the gaping shoulder. Minus the heavily damaged limb, Sideswipe was not much better off but at least he was standing. In front of his brother in fact. From her position across the room and lower down, Shay thought it seemed like the red bot was guarding his twin.

While the other injured settled themselves, she tried to get farther across the room. It was impossible to hear what Sideswipe was saying over the din but he didn't look happy as he spoke with First Aid. Running around a few shorter bots she didn't know the names of, Shay scrambled to the Twin's table just in time to hear the young medic arguing.

"But you're in pain! At least let me turn off the sensory receptors! Ratchet will be here soon." The shorter red and white bot protested gently, backing up a step when Sunstreaker's lip curled up over his denta and his brother's glare intensified.

_NO._

Not even noticed on the ground, Shay stared in confusion as she felt the strong negative. What was going on?

"MOVE YOUR AFTS! Light damage by the walls. Critical on the berths! You KNOW the drill!" Bellowing from the main door caused the talk to die down. Ratchet pushed into the room supporting Trailbreaker. He set the big black mech on a table and pulled out a welder to rapidly close a sluggishly bleeding chest wound that had reopened. On his heels, Wheeljack and Hoist stepped into the room and started to help patch people up. There were shouts from the bots near the right corner that Huffer needed immediate attention and Hoist went to tend to him. Out of the corner of her eye, Shay caught Sideswipe giving a nod to First Aid. The assistant medic quickly reached under Sunstreaker's plating to tug at wires and turn off pain receptors without any fight from either Twin. Mouth curved into a confused frown, Shay stared blankly while Sideswipe sat down.

Then he noticed she was there, "Shay! Don't' stay down there. You'll get stepped on." One servo was held out so the woman could climb on. Deposited onto their seat, the human snarled angrily at the injuries. Finished with the tawny lambo, First Aid moved on to Sideswipe.

Sunstreaker frowned when he noticed the slight tremor in the woman's arm and optics widened. He quickly brought up the mental walls he'd forgotten about until now and she gave a sigh of relief as the pain retreated to only a distant and easily ignorable ache. Giving a brief smile in gratitude that turned into a grimace, Shay continued to glare at the wounds and murmured.

"You guys do not look so good." At least the pain and annoyance radiating off the two had dimmed. First Aid stepped back and checked both warriors over before giving a short nod almost to himself. He backed off as Ratchet moved over to take a look at them. Sideswipe grinned cheekily.

"You should see the other guys. Total scrap metal." His brother snorted and Ratchet gave a rough 'Pah!' "Can't you glitches avoid any major injuries for just _one_ battle?!"

A vacant look from the Twins and then sarcasm from Sunstreaker, "Um...no."

"You're all hopeless." Ratchet muttered in defeat, leaning forward to examine the shorn wires sticking out of the shoulder joint.

"I prefer the phrase 'cheerfully lost'."

Sideswipe snickered while the woman peered up at him confused, "Sideswipe, being lost and being hopeless are two completely different things." Sunstreaker rolled his optics and reached out his good arm to flick his brother on the helm horn. Smirking, he informed her dryly, "Unless he's hopelessly lost, which happens often enough."

"Hey!"

Ratchet gently whapped both of them on the back of the helm before things got out of hand, "Alright. That's enough. Shay, I'm afraid you'll need to move. I have to lay him down to reattach the arm and there just isn't enough room here."

It was not said unkindly. The woman nodded in understanding and prepared to climb down. A whine from the red hellion startled her.

"But we want our squishy nearby!" A bored expression from the bulkier mech was his only answer. Pouting in innocence, Sides looked at the human. Shay glared, "Don't be a crybaby. I'll be nearby. And when you are healed, I will shoot you. Squishy, huh."

Ignoring the mocking 'aaawwww', she climbed down and skittered over to where Wheeljack was repairing an unconscious blue and gray bot with orange faceplates and strange wings. Now that everyone was settled and some heading into recharge, it was far safer to cross the floor. Hauling herself up by digging fingers into the plated metal, the woman climbed onto the surface and sat down to watch the engineer work. A moment passed before she spoke.

"Can you converse with me or would that be unnecessarily distracting?" A quiet murmur to join the dull gabble and clanging going about the room. The inventor looked over although his fingers didn't pause as they disassembled a small bit of machinery in the Autobot's chest, "We can talk. Transistor replacement is simple, just takes time. What's up?"

Lips thinning, Shay watched Wheeljack work instead of looking at his face, "Is anyone extremely injured?"

She pretended not to see the knowing look in his blue optics. Even with the facemask, the Lancia was usually very easy to read and his skepticism was plainly obvious. He knew that wasn't the question on her mind. Playing along, he shook his helm, audio finials giving off a soft yellow glow. "Nothing life threatening. A few are going to be here awhile. Huffer had some of his major fuel lines ripped out, so we have to replace those. Sunstreaker's arm won't take more than half an hour. Normal stuff."

An almost awkward silence descended upon them, 'Jack's dark gray servos flitting over the charred metal and picking up new clean pieces to put back in. Shay laced her fingers. While she remained unmoving, eventually the Autobot spoke again.

"What did you really want to ask?"

Wheeljack had paused to peer at her, but the woman merely shrugged and looked away with an impassive face. He sighed, air venting out of his intakes as he turned back to repairs. The words rushed out of Shay's mouth almost without thinking.

"Why didn't they let First aid fix them, or even turn off the pain receptors at first?" Wheeljack winced. Still, steady but concerned cerulean optics looked over at the Twins and then returned to the human, not needing an explanation for who "they" referred too. He was pretty sure he didn't want to have this conversation. White armor with russet and green decals flattened just slightly and pressed closer to his body.

"Uh, maybe... you should ask them about that..."

"Wheeljack." Shay stared him right in the optic, voice brooking no argument, "I need to know what is wrong."

The frown deepened with worry, eyes widening as the corners creased. She looked... (dare he say it?) … sad. Primus, Wheeljack thought, that's not fair. So far the human had been angry, frustrated, and impassively calm. Pit, yesterday she'd carried around a squirt bottle with the explanation that if the Twins were going to act like prissy cats, she would treat them like it. In the face of Sunstreaker's snarls about the water on him, Shay had been downright bored. But never had he seen her sad. He didn't think anyone here save for the Twins themselves had seen the woman like this. This was the most vulnerable Wheeljack had ever seen the human.

It was cheating, completely unfair cheating. There should be rules against humans looking sad. They were small and mainly defenseless already! Looking mournful was an underhanded maneuver. Slag, he thought, I'll have to ask Prowl about making a new rule.

Armor flattening even more and shoulders slumping, the inventor relented, "Okay okay, but you didn't hear it from me. And cut it out with the face. Primus, you'd think someone was giving you lessons."

Keeping a neutral expression, Shay turned her full and undivided attention to him and waited. After muttering something under his breath, Wheeljack started, "Sideswipe and Sunstreaker have issues with most medics." He paused in the hopes that the woman would take that explanation and leave it. No such luck, as narrowed eyes and crossed arms greeted him. Of course not, that would be too easy.

"You see... well... early in the war, they were stationed at a particular base. I was there at the time actually, although I didn't know them too well. It was a big base with lots of people. Anyways, you know how they are. Rule breaking, pranks, fights, jet judo when they were told not too. Usual stuff. But most of the officers on base didn't handle it to well. Now I heard this later, mind you, because I was down in my workshop most of the time. So apparently one of the officers got a transfer request through and when Sunstreaker went to the medbay, the CMO there sedated him."

"I don't understand." Dread started to gnaw at her gut.

Body language shifting into a cringe, Wheeljack hesitantly stated, "They knew he would put up a fight. The transfer was just for Sunstreaker. The officers wanted to separate them."

Shay's mind emptied, devoid of anything save for the last few words that her mind was trying to puzzle over but couldn't quite make sense of. Then she understood.

_Red. Redredredredred._

Fury choked her vision, cutting off rational thought in a single slice. Internal howls of _grief/horror/rage_ clawed up her throat, demanding vengeance. She would _slaughter/kill/destroy_ any who tried to separate Sunstreaker and Sideswipe. **How Dare They...**

Wheeljack knew the instant she got it, the invisible shift that left something dangerous and wild in it's wake. It was impossible to miss in the safe normalcy of the medbay. Confused old denim blue eyes snapped into white blankness while the bot froze, arms still partially in Track's damaged chest. There was not a single tint of blue in those orbs. It was the palest he'd seen, gleaming ivory reflecting the bright overhead lights. With only the small black pupils against raging white, her eyes looked completely _wrong_. Time seemed to pause as the inventor realized that maybe telling Shay wasn't such a great idea.

If he'd looked up he would have seen Sunstreaker staring at him from across the room. The lamborghini had worried just a little because he'd forgotten to keep the mental walls up and Shay had felt the pain from his arm. So as he lay on the berth he tilted his helm to look over upside down. She's seemed alright over there with Wheeljack. While his brother was busy arguing with the medic, he carefully used the link to check in on the human. His optics lightened at what he found.

Shay didn't notice the intrusion. Her mind was elsewhere, completely gone.

_/stick to the edges edges edges/ dark halls of metal -lights in the middle stick to shadows/ don't look at us (I)/ two figures stalking close to the wall -light feet avoid the crowd/ feral grins smiling sharp denta/ watch them all (all) don't trust/ fear fear (rage)/ No! Together one we one not two one ONE!/ angry angry angry/ dangerous/_

_/ "You are an absolute imbecile." Cold voice, hard tone. Threat?_

_Large-green-bad one, "They cause so much trouble! I have my orders. Separating them-" NONONONONO!_

_Two figures crouched in the corner, optics watching the officers argue without any sort of awareness. Mad optics. Freezing arctic blue tipped with alabaster. Red plating seemed blood colored in the shadows. It was dented and scratched from a fight. He crouched over the other. Golden yellow slumped his helm on his twin's elbow and looked for weakness from the threat threat threat..._

_"__Suicidal. That's what you are. And you'll kill both of them!" Angry shout. Snarls. They growl simultaneously. They don't like the noise. They want to be left alone./_

_/Need together/ no one else don't come near/ don't come near us (I) (we)/ don't break us (me) apart/ can't.../ hard optics watching everyone around them/ red and yellow plating - predatory faces/ intent to kill/ spiral spiral out of control (none)/ no control/ fear... no, no fear/ just pain-anger-rage... betrayal?/ hunter hunters among.../ black rage creeping deeper and deeper.../_

Arms pulled out to lay limp on either side, fingers spread and spine straightening. She still faced Wheeljack but he knew the human wasn't seeing him. Slowly, a shallow breath. He hadn't noticed that she'd stopped breathing for a moment. Then another intake. After a minute of replicating a stone statue, Shay relaxed by tiny degrees and hints of her eyes natural color blossomed within the iris. Finally, she rasped.

"**Were th**ey stupid?"

Her voice sounded off for a second before returning to it's normal inflection. Still, the tone was full of razorblades just waiting for a target to attack. No one else seemed to have noticed what had just happened and the regularity of everyone around them remaining unaware was strange. Hesitantly Wheeljack answered, "Twins... aren't that common. And not everyone knows they need to stay

together."

Moving slowly, the bot went back to repairs but kept constant watch of the human as if she were about to detonate. Across the room, the red frontliner didn't notice what had just occurred. They couldn't pick things up from the human unless they reached out and Sideswipe was distracted by placating an irate medic. Sunstreaker's tenseness mellowed out as he turned back to his twin. On the other medberth, Shay's hollow face softened the tiniest bit but continued to stare at the Lancia, waiting for him to continue. Any hint of vulnerability was long gone and had left cold fury in it's place.

"It didn't happen though. There was one officer, I can't remember his name..." Wheeljack shook himself, "But he was friendly with the Twins so he got the transfer canceled. Called in favors and pulled rank. At least those were the rumors. Think he was the Security CO."

"But yeah, Sunstreaker woke up and it did not go well. There was um... some fighting. After that, well, they had trouble trusting anyone. Especially that particular medic. People didn't see them too often. The Twins did patrol, grabbed their rations and holed up somewhere or another. I saw them in the halls once or twice and..."

He tilted his helm in thought, "It was like... you ever been to a scrap yard? Earth ones with all the junk."

A short nod, expression still shut down, "I go there to get parts sometimes for inventions. But scrap yard dogs, they don't outright attack but you don't want to get near because you know they'll lash out. They were like that. Really wary, leaning toward violence. They refused to go to the medbay and only went if they were practically dead and someone dragged them in. And then, one of them was always awake to make sure the medics didn't try anything funny. But even just around the base, Sides and Sunny got pretty nasty when people got near them."

"Scrap yard dogs." Shay growled lowly, lips curling up in a baring of teeth. There were still bleached streaks in the blue of her eyes.

Inside, Wheeljack felt sorrow tug at his spark. He wouldn't admit this aloud, would never admit this; but in that moment she looked just like he remembered the Twins looking back then. The aggression suppressed just under skin and armor, the savage presence and unblinking flinty eyes. A cornered animal stared out to flash it's teeth at the world before hiding behind a barely civil mask. He regretted telling her. The inventor lamented that he should have said 'no' and made her ask them to explain.

"What changed?"

But he had started so he had to finish, "A big transfer came through. A lot of bots, myself included, were moved to the Ark crew. Prowl was in charge of it and he made sure that both the Twins came. And new transfers go straight to the medbay for virus check-ups. So... they met Ratchet. You can imagine how that went."

She blinked and then laughed harshly, a rough and bitter bark as the last of the white faded away. The tense hardness in her chest disappeared and both the human and the bot looked over their shoulders toward where Ratchet was reconnecting wires in Sunstreaker's shoulder and arguing with Sides at the same time. Sideswipe stuck out his glossa. The medic held up pliers and snipped them with

a no-nonsense look. The tongue immediately retreated.

Snickering, the woman huffed strained amusement, "That must have been a sight to see."

"It was a loud first few days. Optimus told them that they weren't going to be separated but I don't think they really believed him. Prime and Ironhide had to drag them kicking and fighting in here and then Ratch literally welded their afts to the berths." Chuckles slid out as Wheeljack finished and slid Track's hood shut, quickly checking the diagnostics for any anomalies.

"I am surprised they didn't try to kill him." She murmured, eyes glazing over as faint echoes of emotions rebounded before fading.

The inventor straightened and glanced over again before admitting, "They did actually. Doc just grabbed them around the throat and yanked out a few wires to paralyze them. He did repairs and ranted the entire time that he wouldn't put up with any of their stupidity. If they were hurt, he'd fix them, end of discussion. Everybody that had been transferred figured they were gonna have a go at him again after that but... well they did. Instead of trying to hurt him though, they welded all the chairs, datapads, and tools to the walls. There wasn't so much trouble getting them to the medbay after that. Nobody's really sure why they changed their minds though."

"I would bet he earned their respect. And eventually trust." Shay stated quietly.

Wheeljack's finials flashed a happy bright turquoise, "That would make sense. But long story short; that's why they only let Ratchet repair them. Or another if Ratchet's there. They've come a long way since then, being comfortable with most everyone on base now."

"The kid," a nod towards First Aid clearing Cliffjumper from the bay, "gets a pretty hard time. Doesn't like leaving people in pain but the Twins won't let him help unless Ratchet's there."

Resting a chin on her palm, the woman watched Wheeljack move on to another bot. She stayed next to the unconscious warrior and scanned the room. Prowl stood by the wall while speaking in quiet tones to Ironhide, otherwise known as Big Red to her. By the hand gestures, the weapon specialist was re-accounting his part in the battle to the exasperated Praxian. Seated on the floor, Optimus consoled a worried Bluestreak who kept trying to get off his medberth. The main door opened, Red Alert poking his helm in before rushing toward a tall crimson mech with wing-like panels on his helm. Hound stepped in after, much to the CMO's dismay.

"Not injured, not allowed in here. Unless you slagged yourself up?" Ratchet gave the tracker a suspicious look.

Hound held up his servos, "Just came by to check." He called back before turning back out the door with Cliffjumper, the two talking animatedly. Shay studied the tired and worn expressions of those around her. There was a lot of happy and relaxed chatter because no one was dead and they'd won, at least this time. Sunstreaker's arm was reattached now and with help he sat up. Spending a moment in thought, the woman climbed down and went to stand by the Twin's table.

The medic nodded down at her, "I need to help fix Huffer's injuries first, but then I'll come back to finish the minor repairs. You two, _stay _here." He gave the Twins a glare before stomping over to help Hoist. Sideswipe scooped her up to plop her on the table once more, but his optics were distant. Guessing they were conversing over the Twin bond, Shay just sat and waited patiently.

Whatever was said apparently led to a disagreement. Sideswipe huffed and gave his brother a sharp poke only to get a slap in return. Affronted, he shoved Sunstreaker. Realizing they might not stop immediately, the human scooted back closer to the edge so she wasn't directly in the way. The lighter colored frontliner snarled and roughly pushed his twin onto the floor. Giving an excited whoop, Sideswipe lunged straight back up and tackled his brother to the berth. Shay gripped the edge of the shaking platform and turned around. A sharp whistle from her caught Ironhide's attention.

"Hey yah two! Quite that a'fore Doc gets yah!"

Ratchet looked over from farther back in the medbay, "If I have to come over there, I will make banging out those dents painful." Seeing the death glare, the Twins untangled themselves and resettled. Sideswipe pouted at Shay.

"Way to ruin our fun."

Turning so that only the twin lambos could see her face, she wiggled her eyebrows before returning her expression to it's normal blankness. Sunstreaker balked while Sides laughed, "Yay! We're corrupting you!"

"You mean you're corrupting her." Sunny grumbled, "I did no such thing."

Rolling her eyes, Shay stood and carefully looked over Sunstreaker's limb. Considering he'd just used it when rough-housing with Sides, it seemed to be okay. "I don't like the thought of you guys losing limbs. I hope you gave them hell."

"Of course," rough smirk in place, the golden frontliner gave a derisive snort and fingered the torn metal on his arm, "Couldn't let them get away with scratching me, could I?"

The tall red Autobot whose name Shay didn't know was seated on the berth to the left of the Twins, Red Alert on the chair between them. The woman thought the unknown bot turned into a firetruck because of the ladder on him but she couldn't be sure. He leaned over a little to grin at the lambos, "You always get scratched. You ever going to give the poor saps a break?"

Red Alert huffed in disbelief as Sideswipe mock gasped, "What?! Never! Besides," he added with a chuckle, "They should know better by now not to scratch Sunflower's paint." The bot in question flopped against his twin, too lazy to even badger him about the nickname. Shay's lips twitched up in amusement.

"I'll help you guys repaint later. But I have a serious question." The smiles washed away as the Twins looked down at her. Suddenly very nervous, Shay looked at her shoes and played with her fingers.

"Would you guys consider..." A slight pause as the human took a quick breath.

"If Ratchet wasn't there, would you let other medics repair you or at least turn off the pain receptors if I was there to keep an eye on things?"

Shay forced herself to finish before she could change her mind and clamped her mouth shut, posture tense and absolutely still. The Twins recoiled slightly, startled. They hadn't expected that. Those close enough to hear the conversations stared and around the room it grew quiet. Soon there was a dead silence. After a moment of her anxiety growing and despairing thoughts that she shouldn't have asked plaguing her, a torrent of emotions crashed over the human. Sideswipe made absolutely sure she felt the full extent of their reaction as Sunstreaker answered quietly.

_Appreciation. Joy. __Yes._

"You helped fix us before, so I suppose we could trust you if other medics needed to do repairs."

"Wait, WHAT?! What do you mean she's repaired you before?!" Ratchet bellowed from across the room. All optics flickered back and forth with interest between the two parties. Shay had let out a breath of relief at the Twin's answer but now turned to give the medic a funny look, one eyebrow raised. "We did mention before that they got in a fight with those two jets..."

Prowl jumped in, "Yes, but repairs were not spoken of."

"Oh," the human's eyes lost focus as she turned contemplative, "I forgot."

Sideswipe liked attention, but not this kind. Deciding to lighten the mood, he bounced a little and dislodged his brother. "Aww, you're sooooo cute." Shay yelped in surprise when the carnelian frontliner leaned over to give a gentle hug, "Gonna protect us from big bad First Aid right?"

Scoffs and laughter floated around, First Aid mock threateningly waving one of Ratchet's tools before returning to fixing Prime. The head medic just shook his head at their antics and turned away. Shay let out a breath of relief as the bots went back to their conversations. She didn't like everyone's optics on her either. Looking up at the giant still giving her a hug, the woman remarked flatly.

"You are loony tunes."

"I like loony tunes. Especially Road Runner." He straightened and Sunstreaker muttered something under his breath that sounded like 'dork'. Ignoring the insult, Sideswipe winked at them both. "Meep meep!"

With that exclamation he lunged off the berth. Ratchet's medic senses must have been tingling because as soon as Sideswipe's foot touched the floor he was whirling around and lunging toward the escaping hellion. In a blur of red and black, the lambo was cackling and out the door, an enraged ambulance at his heels. Shouts of 'MEEPMEEP!' and 'Get Back Here You IDIOT!' followed by sirens echoed from the hall, much to everyone's amusement.

The woman smiled and then sat down cross-legged next to Sunny, "My other question is whether Jazz might prank you guys for helping me break into his room."

"If he's bored he might," Lying down and carefully avoiding the human, he shuttered his optics with a sigh, "Or he'll be amused and let it be. Can't believe he played us all... wait, yes I can. It's Jazz." Dry sarcasm sat thick in his tone. Shay gently ran a hand along his side, fingers brushing only undamaged parts.

"I wonder if it's a special ops thing. He's not a bad sort, I don't think." A rumble of agreement.

They fell into an easy quiet, Sunstreaker resting as his recharge protocols took over and Shay delicately slumped over the undamaged metal on his other shoulder pad. She drifted off and eventually Sideswipe was dragged back in. Not willing to wake the other two, he settled on Red Alert's vacated chair and sat bored for quite a while as he waited his turn. Hours later, two-thirds of the medbay was now cleared and Shay awoke to low voices.

"But I don't like it!" Her red and onyx guardian was protesting, "You got scans earlier when Blue brought her in."

Ratchet sighed, sanding down the last weld mark on the frontliner's back, "I didn't get all the information I need because I didn't know what to scan for at the time. I would have done it earlier when you were gone but the time wasn't long enough."

The woman moved, stretching sore muscles slightly and feeling a tingle in her legs as the blood started to flow again. Both Sideswipe and Ratchet looked over at her with frowns. It was weird to see such a deep scowl on the frontliner's face when he was usually so cheerful. She whispered so as to not disturb Sunny from recharge, "Explanation please."

"I need to do one last test, with you far away from the Twins for a length of time, and then I believe I can call everyone together to discuss this." Shay grew worried at the white and red bot's tone. "Anything in particular I should be aware of?"

There was a brief pause with the medic's frayed azure optics tightening, "We'll discuss it when I have all the information." That did not soothe the woman at all. And by the sight of Sideswipe's back plating shifting higher, he didn't like it either.

"How far?"

They all lurched (or in Shay's case, jumped) in surprise and turned to find the gold lamborghini awake and looking at them. Ratchet stated calmly, "About seven miles. Ten hours should do it. I do believe you said you wanted to get out of the Ark Shay."

Sideswipe glowered, about to speak up but a higher pitched raspy voice from across the room butted in, "She come with Dinobots?"

Turning once again, the human found another bot staring back from two tables down. She'd never seen this mech before. He seemed to be on the taller side but without a huge mass of plating which left him somewhat skinny. Duller blue and gray plating predominated with an ochre barrel shape on his chest and a bright red helm that curved back. Strangely shaped wings stuck out behind from his shoulder plating. He tilted his head a little in curiosity and smiled, "Us Dinobots going to pond. Me Swoop invite you to come."

Blinking in surprise, Shay pondered the incorrect use of pronouns. A resounding negative threaded through the link from Sunstreaker but his twin was the one who spoke, "I'm sure she'd be fine with you Swoop, but you know how Slag gets. And Grimlock hasn't met her yet."

Sides let a wince crawl across his face, but his emotions gave him away. He didn't want her to go either.

"Rawk," A weird squawk crackled out of Swoop's vocalizer, "She safe. Swoop promise."

Unease still shivered and nipped under her skin from the lambos but Ratchet didn't seem completely against the idea, "That pond is close to the distance I need." He looked down at Shay with a small frown, "Would you be alright going to see the other Dinobots if Bluestreak went with you?"

Puzzlement swamped the feeling radiating off the Twins. Shay was quite confused as to why the twins were against her going with the grammatically challenged bot to meet some others, who exactly the Dinobots were, and why Ratchet was _asking_ permission instead of just ordering like usual. And before she could even open her mouth to ask for answers, Sideswipe rebelled against the Doc's decision, "Why Bluestreak? He couldn't handle any of them if things get rowdy..."

Enough was enough. Cutting him off with a short yip, the woman jumped to Twinspeak, "_**I believe I can make my own decisions.**_"

"_**The Dinobots are dangerous.**_" Sunstreaker replied in shortened syllables and static filled creaks, ignoring how Shay crossed her arms. Swoop looked back and forth confused, unsure of the strange language composed of a mixture of Cybertronian and multiple Earth tongues. Ratchet just leaned back against the wall and waited impatiently.

Scowling, the human's temper flared, "_**So are you. They are Autobots, are they not? And if Ratchet believes Bluestreak is enough backup just in case then I don't see the problem.**_" The aforementioned medic lifted an optic ridge. After so long with these particular brothers, he could at least pick out his name in their language, that specific series of harsh clicks and low croons. It didn't help explain what they were saying though.

The Twins shifted at Blue's name and Shay's eyes narrowed. That edgy feeling leaving acid in her gut made a bit more sense now.

_Jealousy._

"_**Sides, you are the one who complained that I did not have enough friends. I can be around him if I choose,**_" Identical sets of armor flared and her hard expression softened minutely at their possessiveness, "_**That does not mean I am replacing you. No one can do that. But I make my own choices, remember?"**_

Sunstreaker gave a critical look and nodded slightly at her reminder. Pouting slightly, his brother glanced away before nervously tapping his fingers on his knees. Exhaling loudly, Sides looked back at her.

"_**Kay, sorry. Just don't piss them off.**_"

"I will not die." Switching back to English, the human gave them a gentle smile before turning to the Dinobot. None of them noticed how the CMO's optics widened at her statement before swiftly returning to gruff annoyance.

"Are you done yet?"

"Quite." Shay didn't turn and merely looked over at Swoop, "I would like to go with you and meet the others. Will there be any problems if Bluestreak comes?"

The big bot smiles and hopped off the berth he was sitting on to come over, "No. Talkative Bluestreak friendly."

Within minutes Shay was at the Ark entrance with the gray Datsun and a happy Dinobot about to lead her off into places unknown. The medic gave Blue a scanner and simple instructions to scan her every half hour. Grumbling about having to finish repairs on the yellow dandelion of doom, he headed back in. Left with her companions, Shay took a moment to check her bonsai tree on a little rocky space a few feet away from the base. Content that it was alright, the woman glanced at Swoop curiously.

"What is your alt mode?"

Instead of answering, the tall bot transformed. Gray and blue, amber and red biometal plates slid inward and outward until an extremely large beast-like creature sat before her. Staring in awe at the almost delicate fiber-woven wings and sharp beak, the human let out a pent-up breath.

"Oh..."

A pterodactyl. A dinosaur. Of course, Shay thought, the Dinobots have dinosaur altmodes. How amazing was that?

Without meaning to, she laughed, highly amused notes ringing from her throat. The pleased expression and proud body language that had graced Swoop disappeared as he scowled down at her. How someone could scowl with a beak was beyond her, but somehow he managed with narrow optics. The flier's voice deepened a little while Bluestreak shifted nervously, "Why you laugh at me Swoop?"

She stopped immediately, "Oh no, I'm not laughing at you. I'm just..."

A pause as Shay searched for the right words and Swoop's wings hiked up, "I was just surprised. Your alternative mode is amazing and I was laughing because it is one of the best that I have seen so far. Whose idea was it to use a dinosaur model for an alt mode?"

Still watching the tri-colored flier worriedly, the Praxian piped up with almost dry exasperation, "Wheeljack."

"Well, it's brilliant. Dinosaurs..." she repeated with a mild grin. Swoop leaned down carefully to study her with suspicious optics.

"You Shay mean that?"

Her smile slipped into a sad apologetic expression, "Yes. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. That was completely my fault and I am sorry Swoop." Hesitantly, the woman stretched out a hand to lay it gently on his beak, well aware that a simple move from the metal pterodactyl could snap her wrist off in a heartbeat. Behind her, the sniper tensed. Even at the best of times, the Dinobots were a temperamental bunch. Shay was lucky it was Swoop and not one of the others or there would already have been a fight. He didn't think Swoop would hurt her but the big bot was sensitive about his appearance.

Finally, the flier's wings lowered to a more neutral position and the bot rumbles slyly, "You Shay like Swoop's flier mode?"

"Very much so. It's impressive." Allowing another grin, Shay asked, "Are the others fliers too?"

"No." Radiating smugness, his armor puffed up and out in the tiniest bit of pride, "Me Swoop's brothers not fliers. Only Swoop." She lowered her hand and stepped back.

Noting the sharp claws not only on the joints of his wings but also on his feet, the human could only shake head in wonder, "You must be terrifying in battle."

"Oh he is!" Bluestreak exclaimed, calmer now that a catastrophe had been diverted, "You should see the cons when he comes flying in! They totally run for cover. And the other Dinobots turn them into scrap metal. Actually, you probably shouldn't see that because it's not safe for the humans and you'd have to be nearby to see." His animated chatter turned apprehensive as he realized how bad an idea that was. Swoop straightened and happily flapped his wings.

"Come meet other Dinobots!"

With that he took two steps back and jumped into the sky. When high above their heads, the Autobot let out a joyful shriek and spat out a stream of fire. Shay gave a whistle. Giant metal dinosaurs that could _breath fire_. Wheeljack was like a ten year old boy with genius capabilities. The woman laughed again and hopped into the waiting Datsun's cab. They took off after the flier, leaving a cloud of dust rising up in their wake.

* * *

The pond was quite beautiful, set in the cusp between two larger slopes. Huge redwoods and gnarled oaks congregated with pines to blanket the southeastern shore while the other side stayed clear of most foliage save for long grasses and dandelions. It was just perfect for sunbathing. Pre-noon daylight danced over the still water and lily pads where the rays showed through scattered clouds. As the woman stepped out of Bluestreak carrying a lunch sack and a book, Swoop glided in around a flock of wild geese to land only a few feet away.

"What you Shay think of us Dinobot pond?" Tilting his elongated helm at her, the more organic looking Autobot ruffled his wings and used the right one to point at the water.

Closing her eyes to better hear the cicadas and rustling stalks by the shore's edge, Shay breathed deeply. Wet earth and evergreen's bite greeted her. Just barely noticeable came the scents of murky waters, golden rods in bloom, and moss covered stones. It reminded the human of the woods at her dad's house. The place that had been (and sometimes still was) home. A tension she hadn't noticed until just then eased away inside and for the first time in a while, her shoulders didn't feel like she was carrying a heavy load. Letting her lips curve up slightly at the sound of bickering blue jays, Shay opened her eyes, "It is peaceful. Thank you, for allowing me to see it."

The words were barely out of her mouth when a hulking shape pulled itself from the water. Startled, Shay lurched backwards against the Praxian who had transformed. With muck and water crashing off it's metal hide in waves, the four-legged beast shook. Drops sprayed out. Frogs cheeped in alarms and scattered to safety.

'How deep is this pond?', the woman thought absently as she took in the plates aligned on the back of the stegosaurus and the slowly swishing spiked tail. He was only a yard or so out and they hadn't even seen him under the water until he stood. Once again the giant reptilian flared his plating to get more of the dripping liquid off.

"Warm?" Swoop rasped curiously.

Plodding up onto land, the other Dinobot nodded but didn't elaborate. Lazily settling himself on the grass, the bulky bot stretched and curled his tail. Apparently comfortable, he turned to study Shay with bored optics.

She gave a small wave in greeting, "Hello."

No reply. The bot just watched her. Swoop butted in as Bluestreak started to look around nervously, "Him Snarl. Snarl, this human Shay." Another nod and a low grumble that wasn't threatening.

Loud stomping came from the trees and the Praxian's doorwings shot up in alarm. Across the way, three figures stepped out of the woods and made their way towards the short sniper and the human. The largest bot in the center, obviously the leader, stalked across the grass and stopped before her. A blue visor and gray face mask concealed whatever his expression may have been.

He was huge.

Staring up up up, the woman let out a quiet breath and mentally counted to thirty to calm herself. This bot was taller than Optimus, and did not give off comforting waves like the Autobot leader did. Like the other dinos, he was tri-colored in carnelian, silver, yellow. It seemed that Swoop was the only one with blue on him. On the leader's left was a red, black and silver dino with a crested helm in bot form. On the other side, a triceratops scraped his front legs against the ground before moving to settle on the grass next to Snarl.

They were all watching her. Well, not Bluestreak. Plating flattened and tense, the sniper's nervous optics flickered around the other Autobots. Blue was comfortable around Swoop because the flier was actually really nice. It was just when all the other Dinobots were around that the Datsun got fidgety. Said bots were continuing to stare at the woman. She didn't like it.

Unconsciously straightening, Shay turned her face up to the visored behemoth with crossed arms, "Hello, I'm Shay. Swoop invited us to come here. Is that alright with you?"

Bending down until their faces were only inches apart, the bot rumbled in a deep bass voice, "Me Grimlock, King of Dinobots. You Shay polite." It didn't sound like a compliment. But it didn't seem like an insult either, just a fact. The human frowned and replied promptly.

"I try to be polite with everyone. Except for Sideswipe and Sunstreaker when they're trying to irritate me and Ratchet because we tend to argue."

A few chuckles and deep amused rumbles echoed around the group. Bluestreak's doorwings flickered down into a more relieved position but he still held himself carefully. The crested bot smirked down at Shay, "Him Ratchet argue with everyone. Loud. Me Dinobot Sludge." He tacked on to introduce himself. She nodded.

Apparently deciding all was good, Grimlock and Sludge picked a spot to settle and sat. Swoop clacked his beak and followed, plopping down next to Shay and hedging her and Bluestreak in the middle of the group. The silvery bot hunched silently and plating clamped tighter around himself. He remained uncharacteristicly quiet. Frowning, the woman sat down indian-style as Blue also knelt.

"Bluestreak, is something wrong?"

"Uh... it's uh... You guys don't usually like people being here... at your pond that is." Blue said quickly and cautiously, looking at the surrounding Cybertronians.

The triceratops lifted his head a little and promptly snapped, "We don't."

Seeing the talkative Praxian shrink a little, Shay gave his leg a pat and stated calmly, "Easy Bluestreak. If we need to leave, then we'll go. There is no need for trouble."

"No." Grimlock rumbled ominously, "You here. You Shay stay here for now. You Swoop do good job bringing but why him Bluestreak?" The leader turned to the smallest and thinnest dino. He got a wing shrug.

"Him Ratchet say Bluestreak come with Shay." It was impossible to tell what Grimlock thought of this with the covered faceplates. It was easy to see what the Datsun thought of this, mouth open in surprise. "You planned this?"

Swoop bobbed his head in agreement. Shay looked up at him and questioned. "Why?"

Sludge transformed into a long-necked and four-legged dinosaur she couldn't remember the name of off the top of her head. Now more comfortable sprawled across the softly sloped grassy expanse, he answered, "Talk to you."

"Chatty not invited." Grumpy Triceratops grumbled again.

Grimlock also transformed and suddenly there was a huge Tyrannosaurus Rex leaning across their circle to snap it's jaws as the three-horn. "Slag."

The other dinobot, Slag apparently, promptly lay his helm on the ground and didn't move. It was deafeningly silent for a few seconds as Shay struggled to get her heart under control. Seeing a larger than normal before oneself was not something she was used to. Calming herself, Shay made sure everyone could see her lay a hand on Bluestreak's leg and left it resting there to show that he was staying with her. She very much wanted to reply to Slag's comments with something rude but a little voice that sounded suspiciously like one of the Twins reminded her not to annoy Dinobots. The human settled for giving the metal reptile a hard stare before turning to Grimlock.

"Why did you want to talk to me?"

"Autobots ask us Dinobots avoid human." The leader stated mildly.

Bluestreak interrupted, "They were probably afraid you'd scare her like you scared the last humans that came to the Ark, those diplomats..." The gray and red bot's mouth snapped shut when Grimlock turned to him, apparently not done speaking. "Us Dinobots watching. You Shay strange."

"Good strange!" Piped up Swoop. A tail swish came from Snarl who had yet to speak a single word and had merely watched the proceedings so far.

"How am I strange?" Shay inquired. The Tyrannosaur seemed to study the human for a moment, head turned so an optic could focus on her. It was like seeing a tiger watch you. Only Grimlock was many times more dangerous than a mere wild cat. Finally, he rumbled.

"Us Dinobots strong," he seemed to pause, as if unsure of how to put things in the right words. Sludge rolled a bit onto his side and stretched out his neck. The woman didn't know what type of ancient reptile he was based on, but she was pretty sure long-necks were herbivores. So why did he have sharp denta? Sludge picked up at the momentary pause, "Strong protect weak."

"The Twins believe that," Shay admitted quietly, "That's one of the reasons they are Autobots."

The others nodded although Slag's was more of a rumble and a shrug. Grimlock continued, "Strong protect weak and strongest in charge."

"Optimus not strongest. Him Grimlock strongest..." The triceratops muttered before the biggest dino gave him a look. Slag settled down again. Grimlock let out a deep and heavy sound from his chest that wasn't quite a grumble but neither was it a purr, but somewhere in between.

"Optimus Prime smart. And he take care of other Autobots. Me Grimlock take care of Dinobots. Why you Shay," he swung around to look at her, finally getting to what this all had to do with the woman, "try to take care of flashy twins? Him Sunstreaker and him Sideswipe stronger. They protect. Why you Shay act like you protect?"

There was silence as Shay thought over their logic. Grimlock said they'd been watching, so they'd probably seen the quarrels between Sunstreaker and herself. The insult they muttered without barbs or any real head. The times where Sideswipe purposefully annoyed her just so she'd have a target to practice her slingshot. And he thought her being angry was the funniest thing in the world. Maybe they'd seen her eyes light up when Cliffjumper and Sides had brawled in the rec room a few days ago. The Dinobots had somehow noticed that for all the sass and verbal jabbing they did, she would still stop whatever she was doing if they asked. Shay was always making sure the brothers were okay, even though they were tough frontliners who didn't need a little human's help.

They had somehow noticed that even though the Twins were no longer glowing orbs in a glass container, Shay was still looking out for them.

Releasing an inaudible breath, she tried to explain it in a way they would understand, "I am not strong physically, like the Twins are. But I will not, and refuse to, just sit back and let everyone else take care of the problems. Because I am an idiot who cares."

"They are mine. I consider them family and family looks out for one another, not just the strong for the weak." She trailed off and internally winced at the possessiveness springing up. It was worse now that she couldn't feel Sunstreaker and Sideswipe.

The stegosaurus titled his head, speaking for the first time in a rasping voice that was not quite as high-pitched as Swoop's, "Family good."

"Us Dinobots brothers are family. Take care of each other." The lone flier squawked. Grimlock chuckled, a sound Shay could definitely have gone without hearing. By the twitch in his doorwings, she could tell Bluestreak agreed with her. The sound raised his hackles but Grimlock just huffed another laugh.

"You Shay glitchmouse trying to be Dinobot. Funny."

"More than one person seems to think so." The woman replied dryly, thinking about not only the situation with Jazz but Sunstreaker's amusement when she behaved as if the metal giants couldn't harm her. Shay wasn't stupid. She just recognized the possible threat and moved on. There were more important things to do than let fear take over her mind. Not that it stopped her from shrieking bloody murder when Sideswipe jumped out of nowhere to startle her.

Fluttering his wings, Swoop scooted closer, "You read story now? Doc say you out here for ten hours."

A blink of bewilderment. That was all they'd wanted to ask her? And then a frown as all the Dinobots perked up at the word 'story'. Even Slag and Snarl looked slightly excited. Giant metal fire-breathing dinosaurs with grammar issues and lots of sharp teeth liked stories. Go figure.

Bluestreak giggled as he came to the same realization and relaxed a bit. The other bots shoved closer; Swoop ending up leaning against the sniper, Grimlock sprawled on his chest and the other three jostling each other for space. Shay's lips twitched up the tiniest bit in amusement. Opening the book she'd brought, she began.

"If something doesn't make sense then wait until the end of the chapter and I'll explain. All clear?" A chorus of agreements in growls and yelps, "Chapter one. Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal..."

After the story, they all lay down to rest, Shay with a sore throat from talking far more than she was used to. Many hours later the buzzing of a phone woke the woman from an uncomfortable sleep. It wasn't restful but it wasn't like she wanted to get up either. There was a reason she left her phone off. If it didn't ring, then she could deal with whoever it was later. She's explained this once before to the lambos and the Twin's agreed with her reasoning. That was probably a bad thing.

"Fraggit."

Groaning, the woman lifted her face from the bag that had been turned into a pillow. The rest of her was sprawled on the grass. A few inches to the left lay Bluestreak tracing patterns and shapes in the clouds and Swoop in recharge half slumped on the shorter bot. The Praxian's optics looked over at her when the buzzing sounded again. Shay growled. Her chest hurt because the Twins weren't there, she was tired but didn't feel like sleeping, and was really not in the mood to deal with whatever it was.

Muttering threats, the woman dug into the bag and pulled out the irritating chunk of metal. Open, click speaker phone, answer like a civil person, "What?" That was not civil, she reminded herself.

"Shay, how are you doing?" 'Oh hey dad. Nice to hear from you. Call back when I'm actually awake.' The human refrained from saying it out loud and grumbled something only partially intelligible. "Sleeping. Tired. Talk to Blue." And with that she chucked the device at the gray bot.

Making a sound akin to a squeak, Blue barely caught the little device with one free servo, the other pinned to the ground by a cuddly pterodactyl. Apparently caught by surprise, he started talking at the cell phone, "Um... Hi! Who am I talking to? I mean, you're probably a friend of Shay's because she doesn't have a lot of people call her..."

Swoop sat up from dozing to peer blearily at the bot as if questioning why he was speaking right now. Sludge was recharging only a few feet away but didn't seem to be bothered by the chatter. Maybe he was a heavy sleeper. In the water, Grimlock and Slag splashed around trying to catch fish. Overhead, the sun was below the horizon but still left enough light to tint the atmosphere a nice hazy and calming saffron. Shay struggled to catch that encompassing darkness to go back to slumber and failed.

There was a startled silence from the phone before the speaker answered, "I'm Darian, Shay's father. Who exactly are you and why is my daughter sleeping?"

His tone was deceptively calm but the female could hear the wrath building. She laughed out loud when it finally clicked in her barely awake brain that her dad was making assumptions. Sitting up, she stumbled over and grabbed the phone from Blue's open palm.

"We're resting. Outside. Because it is warm and the weather is nice. Get your mind out of the gutter and put away the shot gun."

"Napping because tired." Swoop yawned, beak clacking. He was rather confused as to why there was a problem with naps in the daytime. That's why they were called naps and not just recharge.

Darian ignored his daughter's biting remark, "Where are you? Are you going to pick a place to stay soon or are you still traveling?" No, she couldn't just be off wherever doing whatever. Her dad had to know exactly what was going on. She was getting really annoyed with trying to come up with creative explanations for why she was over near the west coast.

And then Shay had an idea. A terribly mischievous sort of idea because apparently if one spends enough time getting emotions from a certain hellion they pick up the ability to imagine Really Bad Ideas. That bot was such a terrible influence on her.

The woman woke up a bit more, letting a dastardly smirk grow across her face. Bluestreak gaped at the expression and stared as Shay answered, "I am in Oregon, near Portland. I'm not going back to South Carolina because I can't stand living in the city. I have no idea when or if I'll stop by Jade Creek. If you want to see me, come visit."

And with that, she ended the call and snapped the phone close.

Bluestreak continued to gawk while her smile returned to it's normal frown. He questioned slowly as Swoop settle himself back on the grass for more recharge, "Are you channeling Sideswipe? Because that was definitely a Sideswipe face. Like, the one he has when he's going to make Prowl really really mad."

"A little bit," Shay admitted, picking up her bag and making sure everything was back in there, "It's getting dark. Are we going back soon?"

The sniper nodded and made sure to get one last scan. They said goodbye to the sleepy dinos and the playful ones in the water before heading back down towards the Ark. As soon as she was buckled, the Datsun asked, "Are you sure asking your Dad to come is a good idea?"

"Absolutely not."

Bluestreak rolled down his windows to catch a light breeze, "Then why?"

"You heard Ratchet bellowing about me being the most stubborn human he's ever met, right?" The woman tied her hair back so it wouldn't knot up.

The Datsun trembled around her, bouncing on his axles with a giggle, "Yeah. Everyone heard that."

"Well, now he can meet the person I got that from. I'm a little sick of trying to balance all of this and keep my nosy dad from poking in. I have a bad habit of trying to do things all on my own so this time I'll let the officers deal with explaining to him."

With only a few birds going to bed and just awakening crickets, it was very quiet. Cybertronian engines didn't make as much noise as human built ones unless they wanted too. Out in the forest slope and zipping along a logging trail, there was a serene silence. As if the world was still.

"You know, just because you're an adult doesn't mean he's going to stop being your dad." Her ride murmured. A light pang of guilt poked into the tense cold spot in her chest. It sounded like this conversation had hit a nerve for him. Sighing, Shay leaned forward to slump against his wheel.

"Well, now he will know what is going on. I should have told him from the start. Maybe." She amended with some thought. "Bluestreak, can we go faster? I don't feel good and I want to check on the Twins."

The bot poured on more speed as they raced under the evening sky.

.

.

.

Shay was reading the first Harry Potter book. I do not own Harry Potter.

'Voice' refers to Blaster as in 'The Voice of Cybertron'.

I'm sorry this took so long. It turned out longer than planned and I had final exams and projects to finish.

Going to try to finish this story at around 31-32 chapters. So we're almost there!


	27. Part Five Enter the Thunder

warning: non-graphic death. And Jazz doesn't always play nice when he's angry.

.

.

Mirage did not fit comfortably into the ventilation shaft.

To be fair, it wasn't as small as some tunnels he'd crawled through and the spy was on the taller but lanky side. The only reason he could get through at all was due to flexibility. Ahead, Jazz paused in the dark to frown as Mirage almost got stuck again. Putting aside his frustration, the black and white mech scooted forward to peer through vent slats into the space below.

Another storage room. Turning his helm and giving a shake, the TIC gestured that they would continue. In the middle of their small parade, Bumblebee made a face. It would have been much quicker if they'd had schematics of this underground lab but the specials ops hadn't been that lucky. So far they'd found some personal quarters, several storage rooms, and the wash racks. And they were definitely not going in that last one.

Crawling quietly ahead on knee joints and servos, the three Autobots paused as loud voices carried up from below before fading. They waited for a moment, their own vents letting out tiny puffs of warm air. Finally Jazz inched forward. At the next intersection they halted.

_'Raj, you want left or right?'_ Jazz crouched and studied both paths. They were identical.

Mirage shrugged, _'The left I suppose.'_

Quietly wishing each other luck, the team split. Taking the right passage, Bumblebee and Jazz went only a few feet more before stopping. The visored mech tilted his visor at some sludge off on one side. With disgusted expressions and very careful movements, the bots managed to get around the suspicious substance without physically touching it. Considering this appeared to be the Constructicon's lab, it stood to reason that Mixmaster was around. That was the con who liked to toss together funky chemicals to make some 'Highly Dangerous and Strange Creepy Stuff', according to Jazz. And the fact that the partial solid was glowing florescent green? Yeah, if it started moving, then they were going to get out of there quickly.

Turning to watch the gunk warily, Bee followed Jazz as they turned another corner and found more vents.

'_Heeeeelllooo, What we got here?'_ The bigger bot grinned at the mini as they looked through and down. A huge room sprawled out below. It was big enough that a combiner could stand up in it. Maybe ducking his helm a bit, but still stand.

The yellow Volkswagen pointed to the tables and workstations, '_Do you think it's the main lab?'_

Jazz studied the room, mapping out exits and noting obstructions. Lets see: Shelving with parts, tables full of junk and creepy looking projects, weird giant thing in the middle of the room, Autobot prisoners strapped to examination tables in need of rescuing... Okay, so maybe the last one was missing but it still looked like a laboratory. And no prisoners to rescue was good. It mean they had more time to mess with the Con's things to make them miserable. The porsche nodded and hooked his digits into the grill.

He pouted when it wouldn't come off. Stupid construction oriented cons had to make his job hard. Oh well, easy was boring. Using a small laser, the spy cut the seams and carefully pulled the vent in. Slowly, he climbed out to balance on a ceiling support. Jazz held out a servo to help Bumblebee when Mirage commed.

_'I have found the communications room with several terminals.'_

_'If ya got the time, don't forget ta leave'em a present while ya searchin'.' _An affirmative ping and the transmission ended. Balancing on the steel beams, the bots had just settled and replaced the grill when down below the doors whooshed open. Starscream stalked in.

_'Awww,'_ Bumblebee silently groaned, _'Screamer has terrible timing.'_ He lowered himself so that he was resting on his chest plates with all four limbs hooked around the beam. Jazz mimicked his position.

The visored mech loved it when people forgot to look up. Especially fliers in underground places who did not want to be reminded that they couldn't see the sky. '_Ah duhno Bee. We got intah the room a'fore he got here didn' we? Besides, maybe he'll monologue.'_

A quick grin was tossed his way as the shorter yellow and black spy turned to watch the seeker strut around. Tinkering with the large cylindrical machine, Starscream gave a loud "Hrumph!" and smirked with satisfaction. He tapped a few keystrokes into a console on one side and the device powered on. Within the structured framework a turbine groaned and started to spin, ozone scenting the air. Violet and burgundy light lit up either side while red electrical streaks crackled about to dance inside the glass separating the spinning metal from the outside world. The energy zipped up and down piping to condense into holding containers on the top.

Sharp denta flashed under the eerie lights as Starscream smile gleefully, "Perfect..."

"It has to be. We built it after all." Irritation laced the snobbish voice of Hook.

The jet lurched, not having heard the Constructicons enter over the whirling and thumping of the machine. Wings twitching in agitation, the air commander lowered his half-raised null rays and sneered, "Yes well, the generator seems to be working well. Obviously it has to be tested before I can take this to Megatron."

Hook huffed, still unhappy about the slight. Scrapper tipped his helm to silently order the mech to back off. Then he gestured at their worktables, "Mixmaster is working on something. He won't be in the way. The rest of us are just here to watch."

"Oh?" A single optical ridge raised as the cement mixer moved off to the other side of the room.

"Just to make sure our generator works properly, of course. We wouldn't want your experiment to fail because our design was flawed." The leader explained while Bonecrusher gave a shit-eating grin while Onslaught stood seeming bored. Scavenger's sniggers didn't help.

Starscream's voice dripped acid, "Of course."

'_I love Decepticon power plays.'_ Jazz murmured over the communication line. Bee's mouth quirked up in amusement before they both returned their attention to the mech's below. The huffy flier whirled and fiddled with a control panel set in the floor. Stained grill work and sheet metal retracted to allow crystal panes to rise up, shifting into a three dimensional cube that covered a good twenty feet of space. Every good lab had a test area.

Wings still tilted at an irritated but proud angle, Starscream hauled a cable off of the generator and fed it into a power box attached to one wall of the enclosed cube. Stomping around to the front, he opened one of the clear panels and stepped inside. The flier pulled a smaller cable out of the other side of the power box. From his subspace came a rectangular bronze device as long as the Seeker's forearm.

He hooked the power box cables up to the new device and set it down.

A switch on the power box flicked on and energy from the generator started to feed into the small unknown contraption. Retreating out of the test area, Starscream pulled out something else and set it just inside the enclosed space before pushing the panel shut. The cube was sealed.

'_Blaster radio base!' Do we got any bots missin' or word a' neutrals disappearin'?!'_ Jazz yelled through the comm.

Bumblebee stared downward in horror before looking as his comrade with wide blue optics. Blaster's voice cut through the comm links, _'We don't know if Soundwave's here man! If I radio out he could pick it up and it'll blow your cover-'_

_'DO IT NOW!'_

'_Jazz...'_ Bee's tone edged into apprehension.

On one side of the test space was a device connected to the Constructicon's generator. On the other was a spark container. A small glowing spark spun around inside.

The Autobot's gripped the metal framework tightly and watched as Starscream pressed a button

on his wrist. The bronze rectangular device opened on top, tiny vents popping up. A silvery dark mist slid out to coalesce on the ground. Every movement in the lab stopped.

The hidden spies above froze, engines running silent and faces affixed in fear. Having been shifting impatiently until now, the Constructicons stilled. Even Mixmaster at the other side of the colossal lab looked up from his chemicals to watch with apt fascination. Starscream's optics were locked upon the growing gray cloud, rising expectations aglow in his expression.

It seemed the sort of moment where things should have been dead silent. If the generator had not been running it would have been. Everyone tracked the slow movement of the wisps.

The device continued to give off the shimmery light substance until the mist covered several feet. Slowly, it seemed to reach out and test the area around it. Jazz really hoped it wasn't actually alive.

_'Word from base. No missing, ours or neutrals. No interference from Wave either.'_ Blaster's voice caused the minibot to twitch in surprise. Bumblebee turned to his officer again.

_'Jazz.'_

No response, as the spy was rapidly thinking of options. Two bots versus a seeker and six heavy duty ground frames. Not to mention they were in a room that was tall enough for them to combine. Two special operations mechs were no match for Devastator. It was suicide. He would pound them flat in seconds.

But Jazz was used to playing the long odds.

Making his decision, he sat up and pulled out a handgun, _'Move toward the combiners. We each take out one so they can't combine an-'_

Too late. Whatever the foggy substance was had gotten close to the spark. In a blur of movement the entire cloud rushed to cover the fragile cylinder. It wiggled into tiny spaces in the metal and slipped inside.

They could hardly see a glow within the dark vapor.

A strangled noise creaked out of Bumblebee's throat cables, lost beneath the whirling fan of the generator and unnoticed by the Decepticons. A brief pulse of faint light emitted from underneath the mist and disappeared. Pulling back, the gray cloud continued to scour it's enclosed space, leaving an empty spark container behind.

It had been over within five seconds. Even if they'd moved, the Autobots hadn't stood a chance at saving the poor spark.

Frozen in the rafters, Jazz rasped over the comm, '_Hold position.'_

Still in shock, Bumblebee followed his commander's words and slowly lay back down from where he'd partially raised himself. Arms crossed, Starscream's optics narrowed while he studied the lethal fog. He checked his internal clock. Another minute passed. Another.

Finally he smirked, "Well, it seems your generator did the trick. My toxin has yet to dissipate."

"I suppose we'll go contact Megatron then." Scrapper supplied. Bonecrusher seemed bored now too and stomped out with Onslaught as the flier turned off the generator, turbine slowing to a standstill. The toxin faded out within the cube. Starscream turned toward the others with a snarl and superior tone.

"You will not! This is my project and I will prove it's worth."

Scrapper tilted his helm, amusement in his body language even if they couldn't see it under the face mask, "As you order Air Commander."

Hook sniffed in disdain and stalked out too, followed by the head Constructicon and Scavenger. Starscream stepped into the test area, now free of toxin, to grab his device and rushed after the other cons in case they tried to contact Megatron first. He was a very proud scientist and if anyone got to prove his project's worth it would be him.

Jazz jerked his helm and Bumblebee got up into a crouch. They stalked along the beams until they were just overhead of Mixmaster, the only person left in the lab besides them. He was cheerfully filling flasks with colored liquids and suspicious powders, unaware of the looming threat. The bots just couldn't very well wait until he decided to leave. They had information to steal after all. Jazz aimed his weapon.

"Mixmaster!" Bonecrusher's voice rumbled over the laboratory intercom system, "Your crates of junk are blocking storage room D-9! Move 'em!"

The cement mixer sighed and got up, a finger to his audio as he answered, "Those bottles of hydrazoic acid are unstable. I wouldn't touch them." He walked out, leaving the Autobots alone.

Jazz bared his denta in an angry grin and tucked away his gun. Too bad, the con got to live another day. "Hack dat terminal fer project data." He ordered the scout.

They jumped down, landing on quite feet and moving about cautiously. Bumblebee clicked on the computer and plugged in a data strip, "Do you really think Starscream has the info here?"

"Maybeh. Maybeh not." Jazz replied grimly, looking at the empty spark container that had been left inside the cube. This mission wasn't fun anymore and now the saboteur was angry. Which meant he got to practice his specialty: sabotage.

Going over to the generator, he opened the paneling to display rows of circuit boards and wiring. Letting a vicious grin show, Jazz started to yank things out of place and put them back in all the wrong spots. A few cuts along tubing to make things unsafe, gears disconnected, and tada! A very nicely complicated mess that wouldn't be noticed with a cursory glance. Maybe he could put in an explosive that would go off the next time they turned the slagging thing on.

Sirens wailed through the underground building, startling both mechs. Bumblebee jumped and swore as a small curved helm horn cracked against one of the Con's projects on his right. Emergency lights turned on to flash yellow as the high-pitched noise increased in volume.

"I didn't trip any firewalls! I don't think..." The minibot shouted to be heard above the alarm.

Mirage's alert but collected voice rang over the comm, _'I've been compromised. They got into a brawl and knocked into me.'_

_'Try tah retreat tah dah exit Raj. Blastah move t' cavern entrance as back up.'_ That was all the porsche got out before an enraged shriek reached their audios.

Starscream burst into the lab, furious that Autobots where in the base and rightfully worried that they were out to destroy the generator. Bumblebee lunged away from the console to take cover behind a workbench as the con opened fire. Using the big machine in the middle of the room as a shield, Jazz squeezed off a few shots that peppered the walls and floor while Starscream dodged.

"Die Autoscum!"

The seeker couldn't risk shooting the generator but that wouldn't stop him from destroying the Autobots. Snarling his engines, he revved them faster and faster until a high-pitched whine started up. The shrieking sound gained a new frequency that had the Autobots covering their audios. Faces scrunched in agony, the bots crouched and tried to stay conscious. Bee's mouth fell open in a silent howl.

He wasn't called Starscream just because of his scratchy voice. The seeker's engines could reach a pitch that literally sounded like the stars themselves were crying out in torment. It was painful to the point that people had a hard time thinking straight through the dissonance.

Desperate, Jazz pulled his speakers out of his hip compartments and blared them as loud as they could go. Heavy drumming mixed with desolate and shrill guitar wails sent the floor into vibrations. The flier's engine stalled for a split second in surprise.

That was all the time they needed.

As his minibot friend managed to turn off his hearing, Jazz stood and let loose another audio-shattering cacophony that had the room shaking. Tools rattled and fell to the floor, while walls quivered at the deep bass and rampant chords. Starscream flinched and now he was the one to try and cover his audios.

_'Move!'_ The black and white bot fired shots and hit the seeker dead on, scorching his chest plates and knocking him over.

Lunging into his altmode, Bumblebee zoomed out of the lab with Jazz on his tailpipe. Infuriated screeching told them the con was coming after. Pouring on speed, the duo raced through the halls with alarms still blaring overhead. Mirage contacted them with the slightest catch in his tone as if he too were driving.

_'By the concussive noise, I would say you are somewhere on my left.'_ The race car sent a data pack with his general location, _'I believe I saw the exit but was waylaid by pursuers.'_

Smashing around a curve, Jazz took the lead, _'Meet us there in'a minute.'_

They turned another corner and nearly crashed into Bonecrusher. With a roar, the bulldozer pulled a small cannon from his subspace. The bot's swerved and drew up skid marks as they avoided the heavy blast and rocketed into another hall.

"Hey Mirage!" Bumblebee yelled as their comrade came from another direction and skidded into line behind them. Ironically enough, they were in the same position they'd been in when crawling through vents not half an hour ago. Ahead was a familiar set of doors. Transforming at the last second, the trio lunged past the threshold to find themselves in the entrance with the pulse cannons. The oversized guns were still pointed at the exit. Jazz swiftly turned them off before they could swivel around.

Rapidly closing the inner entrance, Mirage messed with the control panel. The main group of wires was then ripped out. It sparked a few times and pounding came from the other side but the doors stayed shut.

Smiling, Jazz tapped a button on his wrist. Every light, emergency ones included, went out. In the black with only their optic light to see by, the alarm somehow seemed louder. The porsche chuckled darkly. Hacking the light systems earlier had payed off. "Dat oughta slow down da ones not raht outside da door."

Noting the thicker accent, Mirage and Bumblebee pulled out their weapons to flank the entrance as the saboteur ripped open the lower compartments of the cannons. A bundled package the size of his fist was left inside each. The banging of fists stopped as someone on the other side started to use a welder to cut open a hole.

They weren't gonna let him slag up their generator for good, huh? That was cool. He'd just take their fun toys. Glaring beneath the visor but still smiling, Jazz brightened the crystal shades on his face so his team could see him easier. With a swirled gesture of his servo, the mech waltzed over to the outer entrance and opened it without a problem.

"Aftah yah. Drive fast mah mechs. We gotta go."

They didn't waste anytime roaring down the cavern. Over the comm link, the black and white radioed Blaster, '_Still outside da entrance?'_

_'Yes. Do you want me to come in...?'_

_'Na nah, not yet. Aftah tah make sure we don' got tails.'_ The Porsche nudged Bee to go faster, Mirage's alt mode easily outpacing the both of them. Confusion threaded through Blaster's tone.

_'After-?'_

A boom detonated deeper within, coming from the entrance with the cannons to be exact. The doors blew, metal cracking and melting. Flames seared down the hall like hungry beasts, licking at stone pillars. Only halfway down the tunnel, the trio was lifted off their wheels as the blast carried out of it's confined space. Flying forward, Bumblebee transformed and crashed against one wall. The uncomfortable heat startled Mirage and he skidded before transforming as well.

Hissing at the dents, the blue and white bot tapped his audios. They hadn't been blown out but the sudden quiet was startling. An engine rev caught his attention. Jazz was still in his altmode and wedged between to stalagmites.

Mirage carefully eased him out as Bumblebee stumbled over to slump on the floor. Metal groaned as Jazz changed back to root mode. A particularly nasty looking hole showed itself on his front. Quiet footsteps had them raising their weapons. A knife in either hand from Jazz, handguns for Bee, and Mirage held up a sleek looking rifle. A friendly voice sounded.

"Autobot."

Sighing with relief and tucking away the blades, Jazz let his helm roll back against the now warm stone, "Hey. Dunno if that stopped 'em. Prolly only slowed 'em down."

Blaster came closer, speakers out and at the ready with a two-handed gun in his servos. The red and yellow cassette carrier took in their battered appearance. All three had char marks streaking their armor along with dents, scrapes, and energon starting to leak. Drops of pink slowly fell to splatter against the floor. A few torn wires poked out of plating. "I thought x-ops snuck out quietly. That was going out with a bang man."

"Sometimes we have to make a quick and loud escape." Mirage snarked as the bot helped pull their exhausted bodies up to standing.

"And now they don't got pulse cannons." Jazz supplied with an edgy cheerfulness, "Let's get goin' a'fore they catch up." Heading out at a brisk trot, the group left the cavern. Frowning, Bumblebee tried to ignore the aches making themselves known. He looked over at Jazz and sent a private link.

_'It's not your fault.'_

Jazz almost snorted but refrained, focusing instead on the grass and stone terrain as they got outside and started to climb down the mountain slope. Going by the access road left them too easy a target. '_If ah'd given dah word sooner...'_

_'We couldn't have opened that door. Or gone in there. It would have let out that...toxin.'_ The minibot scrambled over sheet rock while Blaster and Mirage found a flatter area below. '_We couldn't have stopped it.'_

He paused to stare at Jazz, face serious. The black and white mech did snort this time. It really sucked being an officer. Special privileges didn't make up for all the responsibility and weight of lives that came with the position. Ignoring the looks from the other two at the unexplained sound, Jazz flashed his visor and showed a sad smile. _'Ah know Bee. Doesn' make it aneh easier when ah can' do nothin'. Come on. Let's go home.'_

* * *

The woman glared at the mirror but it didn't change her reflection.

Shay really did not want to leave her room. Technically it was a human guest room aboard the Ark, but regardless. For now it was hers and she would have much preferred to stay in it. Yes, this meeting was important. But the acidic feeling in her gut said it wasn't going to go well.

Feeling like she was heading into a fight, the woman had pulled on worn jeans and a cream sleeveless top. She couldn't wear armor like the Cybertronians and warpaint was generally frowned upon while others questioned the wearer's sanity, so Shay had settled for a shell necklace. It was a string of jagged shell chips that looked like claws, and that choker was the only jewelry she ever wore. Everything else was from her mother and tucked away in the tool box under the bed a couple feet to her right.

It was ridiculous and not helpful in the least but it made Shay feel taller, wearing something with sharp edges.

_Knock tap tap_

Wary eyes flickered to the door before returning to her reflection. A scowling wild-haired woman glared back. Composing her features into something calmer, Shay moved to leave her room. Prowl stood straight and formal across the way.

It was almost comical, the size difference between the huge hall and the few human guest rooms. At least the kitchen two doors down was large enough for some of the smaller bots to stand up in.

"Are you ready?" The tactician questioned mildly.

Shay nodded and started walking before Prowl made a noise similar to a human cough and held out a servo, "If I may, it would be faster if you were to allow me to aid you."

"Alright." The woman sighed after rubbing the bridge of her nose. She really was not comfortable with being carried around by anyone other than the Twins but then again she'd hardly been here five days.

Carefully lifting her so she could sit on a shoulder pad, Prowl let go and stayed still until she wrapped her hands around the edges of metal plating. With her now situated, the Praxian set off down the hall at a steady pace. Shay really hadn't wanted to do this in the medbay or the conference room because nothing good ever came of being in the latter. And she was tired of having to be in the medbay three or four times a day. So they'd settled for Ratchet's office. It was private enough and the human hadn't been in there before.

Only halfway there and they were accosted by carnelian and gold devils. The red one grinned impishly, "Is that...? Yes! I do believe it is a wild Shay, along with the reclusive but dangerous Datsun!"

Sideswipe laughed at their petulant expressions while his twin fell into step on their other side as if the lambos were escorting them. Giving a wing flick at show, Prowl inclined his helm,

"I am glad to see you do not have the intentions of being late, like you usually do."

Sunstreaker gave a very dry response, "Wouldn't miss it."

"Soooooo... Shay." Sideswipe started to walk backwards so he could face them, much to Prowl's chagrin, "Would you like a present?"

_Mischief. Amusement. Hope._

The red lambo was the one asking, but half of those mirthful little feelings were coming from his twin. The corner of her mouth quirked up, worry easing away a little as Shay decided to play along, "I am not sure. If it is seeker wings or a Decepticon's arm then I'm afraid I'll have to ask Prowl to put you in the brig."

A snicker slipped from the yellow bot although he managed to keep a straight face. Sideswipe puffed up in mock indignation, an exaggerated pout on his lips, "I can't go to the brig for giving presents!"

"A show of unwanted affection can easily get you four hours worth of brig time." Prowl stated blithely as Shay flashed an evil smile at them. The tactician couldn't see her expression since she was on his shoulder. They turned the corner and found themselves in the main corridor leading to the medbay. Optimus was leaning against the wall tiredly but he straightened when they appeared. He opened the door for them and held it, appearing mildly amused by the conversation. Sides objected hotly.

"There is not a single rule that says I can't give _one_ present!"

"I wasn't aware you even knew the rules." The Prime chuckled as they stepped inside. The Twins grinned rakishly. Their shoulders lifted and strutting with pride, Sideswipe answered first.

"I memorized them all so I know which ones I'm breaking." Sunstreaker jumped in, "And so we don't get punished for bogus rules."

Shay rolled her eyes as Prowl gave the frontliners a long look, "I will be sure to remember that the next time you are in my office for any offense." Even that didn't take the wind from their sails, dark smirks on the lambo's faceplates.

Ratchet chose that moment to stick his chevroned head out of a door near the back of the repair center. Unlike the privacy rooms, this one had a keypad to keep it locked. The entrance was not quite as small as the quarantine room but was still barely noticeable in the corner. The ambulance glowered at them. "Well? Are you going to stand out there gossiping all day? I do have work to do."

With that grumbled and good-natured complaint, the medic pulled back into the office. The Twins sauntered in like they owned the place with Prowl and Shay at their heels, and the tall red and blue mech last. Optimus muttered something like, 'I do not gossip.' under his breath.

"Sometimes." Prowl contradicted while the semi huffed in protest. Shay ignored the banter and slid forward into the Praxian's palm so he could set her on the desk.

It looked like any office, very formal and little in the way of personal affects. The desk she stood upon with her boots was covered in a couple neat stacks of datapads, a few tools in need of repair, and an empty energon cube with a few sunflowers and a bit of water inside. Shay wondered where the improvised vase had come from, seeing as Ratchet did not seem the type to go pick flowers, let alone use an energon cube to hold them. It was the only thing to catch one's attention in the small room as the only other objects were some shelves full of more datapads, some odd machines of unknown use and several chairs.

The Twins dragged two over to the corner of the slightly cluttered desk where she was standing. Everyone glared at the obnoxious scraping noises. The medic growled from his seat.

"Are you done yet? You can pick it up you know."

Sideswipe went for an innocent and repentant grin, "Sorry?" His brother just shrugged and made sure they were right behind the human as Ratchet cleared desk space. Optimus and Prowl quietly drew their chairs up so that they were all now in a loose semi-circle and facing Ratchet.

This was all of them. Sunstreaker and Sideswipe would have preferred if it was just them, Shay, and the medic, but there was no question that the leader of the Autobots would be there. And Prime had requested that Prowl be aware as well. Shay had thought it a good idea even though the frontliner's had been wary at first.

Ratchet sighed before starting, "Now then. First, I have a way to break the empathy link, _I think_." He held up a servo for silence as the Twins started talking. "Wheeljack and I built an apparatus that should slowly weaken the link to the point where it can be broken without throwing Shay's systems into shock."

"Would it not be more logical to tell us what you have found and then the plan to deal with it?" Prowl questioned.

"No." The white and red mech snapped flatly, "How to fix the problem and then the problem itself." the others all exchanged looks, not sure why Ratchet wanted to do this the roundabout way. Huffily, the mech started again.

"Anyways, we have a device for Shay to keep on her person for several days. Again, that should break the link. How this began is actually pretty easy to understand. The spark chamber in a bot's chest is usually sealed. That holds in ninety-nine percent of the energy waves the spark gives off. A spark container does not."

Sideswipe interrupted, leaning forward as realization dawned, "So when we were in the spark container..."

"There was nothing to hide your energy signatures," The medic nodded gravely, "And nothing to block spark energy radiation. There has never been a need for it because other bots have armor and a sealed spark chamber. They wouldn't be affected. But a human-"

"Has none of those." A grim statement from the woman.

"Correct. The Twins reaching out and reacting to you sped up the process, but either way the empathy link would most likely still have formed."

Optimus rubbed his forehead, "I still don't understand. A human does not have a spark, so shouldn't the occurrence of a link be impossible?"

Ratchet grimaced, splaying his hands on the desk, "No. A spark isn't needed, energy is. All living things give off energy in one form or another. Even plant life, although that energy is incredibly low. Organic energy waves are vastly different depending on species and size. Cybertronian energy is complex but condensed into the spark. That is what a spark is, living energy. Their energy reacted to Shay's low level energy and altered it."

"Um... wow." Sideswipe muttered, trying to make sense of all that. The human and Sunstreaker glanced at each other, worry stretching between them as Ratchet continued.

"The device we made substitutes the Twin's energy, giving off high energy waves that match what Shay's are supposed to be like. That will hopefully change it back. There are some side affects from the empathy link that can't be changed however, and others that I am not sure about." He gestured at the woman's face, "At a cellular level, your eyes have become more efficient and turn pale at extreme emotions just like a Cybertronians. We discussed that before."

Prowl shifted a little in his chair, "You are saying that Shay's body is trying to mimic a Cybertronians?"

"In a way, yes." Ratchet explained, "And the nervous system in her brain seems to have expanded far past what is normal. Those new nerve fibers and synapses are connected to the emotion cortexes and muscular systems. I suspect they are what is allowing her to enter that berserker state."

"Because she's connected to us." Sunstreaker stated lowly, instead of making it a question even though the medbot treated it as such.

"Yes."

"Wait," Shay held up a hand, "What?"

Prowl calmly turned to her and explained, "Those with bonds are ferociously protective of the others in that bond. A berserker state is expected if one of those bonded were to be hurt or in danger."

"Although yours seems much more active than what is considered normal." An exasperated huff from the ambulance as he tapped a servo on the desk, "I don't know it it's because this is a link and not a bond, or if it's because you're human. Pit, it could just be your temperament! Either way, I'm unsure if that will stay or go after the link is broken. Your eyes will remain the way they are but that is something you can live with."

"And what about the things I can't live with?" She asked with trepidation as soon as a niggling doubt made itself present in her mind. Something was very very wrong. She could tell, the unease gathered beneath her skin. A wince that flickered and disappeared confirmed it.

_Worry. Fear._

Was that the Twins or her? Maybe it was all of them. Sideswipe leaned forward again but this time lay his arms in front of Shay, just barely refraining from hugging her. "Ratch...?"

Sunstreaker shifted uneasily, cold blue optics narrowed. Holding up a servo, Optimus pinned the brothers with a look that told them to stay seated. Everyone silently turned to the medic.

Thousands of years worth of time seemed to press down on Ratchet's shoulders, weighing heavily and leaving a bitter grief to peak out from beneath the normal caustic and grouchy behavior. Wearily, the mech studied the desk instead of looking them in the optics. "You got sick several months ago because your body finished changing itself."

"However, the reason you continue to get sick when away from the twins is your body has become reliant on their energy. It takes less and less time for you to react to their loss because the link is strengthening. You were away for months and surviving. Badly, but coping. Then you and the twins continued to visit each other. The time between when they left and when you started to hurt shortened."

Shay didn't move, knowing he was right. She'd already noted the pattern but hadn't known what to make of it. Ratchet continued.

"From the scans yesterday, it was only seven and a half hours before pain signals and temperature fluctuations started."

"What does that mean?" Prowl questioned as the medic shuttered his optics before replying quietly. A deep vent.

"It means her body is reacting as if a bond mate or gestalt sibling were suddenly offline. Shay's body believes that the twin's energy is a part of her and when they are out of range it seems like that part is dead." He opened his optics to see the blood drain out of the woman's face.

"It's getting progressively worse as the link strengthens. But every time you get sick... your body is trying to shut itself down."

A roaring devoured the silence and filled her ears.

Shay didn't hear them calling her name, couldn't see the colored shapes of those around her as black spots danced in her vision and tried to swarm everything around. A cold sweat prickled the too warm skin at the nape of her neck. Numbness slithered up to paralyze her limbs. Everything felt distant all of a sudden. The woman's breathing was so loud in her ears. She couldn't hear anything else.

A servo wrapped around her, holding her close to a warm metal chest. Ratchet's office seemed to blur behind dark blotches. Too much movement.

_Calm. Pleading. __It's alright__. Worry worry worry __worry worry worry- _

Blink.

Her vision cleared, still fuzzy around the edges as she felt her heart hammering away in her chest. They were in the Twin's room. Shay knew it like the back of her hand because half the time she fell asleep in here after playing video games with them instead of going back to her room. Shay didn't remember coming in here. When had that happened? Without the lights on it was quite dim.

"-ay? Shay, come on. It's okay, I promise." A begging tone.

The female blinked twice rapidly and looked up at Sideswipe. His face was hovering just above her, trying to get her attention by calling her name. Sunstreaker..., Shay twisted a little to see the tawny bot was holding her. He was seated on the floor of his room, keeping her in his lap with two servos. He stared down at her with barely hidden concern. And she couldn't seem to stop shaking, even though the human was pressed against the metal plates. When had they gotten to the Twin's quarters?

"What...?" She rasped, meaning to ask what had happened but unable as a soreness pervaded her throat. Bouts of relief flowed from the Twins as she spoke.

Sideswipe bit his bottom lip and explained, "You freaked out a little and, uh..we couldn't get you to calm down, so we came back here."

Struggling to get her hyperventilations under control, Shay pulled her knees up and wrapped quivery arms around them. Internally, the woman frantically searched to remember the time between Ratchet's office and here. Nothing. It had seemed like merely seconds between the two but even running, it took several minutes to get from one part of the Ark to the other. Had she really panicked so much that her mind had shut down? The blank space in her memories testified that yes, she had.

A whisper, as Shay was still a little out of it, "Don't... I don't remember that."

With slow movement, Sunstreaker's arms wrapped tighter and pinned her close. Dimly, the human wondered if it was so she didn't panic again and run. Not that she was in any state to do so or had any place to run too. The Twin's room was good. It felt safe. The human shivered as her breathing slowed to heavy gasps and the trembling stopped altogether. It seemed too hot and too cold, but she'd blame that on the adrenaline. Sideswipe gave a sad smile before messing up her hair with a careful finger. "Freaked us out a bit there. But it'll be okay! I promise-"

_Knock knock_

_Anger. Protect._

Both frontliners hissed angrily at the door, armor immediately flaring wide. Whoever it was ignored their apparent dismissal and tried again. A heavier fist banged on the metal.

_Pound pound pound_

"I need to talk to you." Oh, it was Ratchet. That mech got points for being stubborn.

The Twins looked at each other, before Sunstreaker nodded. Sideswipe got up from where he knelt and palmed open the door. Instead of letting the medic in though, the red and black bot stood in the way and leaned on the door frame. Out in the hall, Ratchet sighed.

"Sides..."

Shay couldn't see the medic, or Sideswipe's face because his back was to her. But after a long moment the red warrior moved aside. Ratchet slowly walked in, leveling Sunstreaker and Shay with a tired look. Kneeling in Sideswipe's spot, the white and red mech pursed his lips before thinning them.

"Shay? May I speak with you for a moment? Alone that is." Identical rumbles disagreed. The woman could feel the vibration through Sunstreaker's chest. A glance upward to notice the gold mech was showing his denta. His twin wasn't much better, standing on their right with a tense and hard face.

Taking a deep breath, and shivering slightly as she let it out, Shay croaked, "Guys? I'm okay... just... just a little shocked. I wasn't expecting that."

Sunstreaker growled in objection and didn't loosen his hold on her at all. In fact, she was fairly certain her servos drew tighter, although his brother shifted uneasily. "You sure?"

"Let me talk to Ratchet."

_**"**__**Five minutes."**_ Finally agreeing, the bot holding her gently lifted the human to set her on her feet. Shay wobbled for a second before deciding to sit down cross-legged in front of Ratchet. The Twins traded looks with the human before turning to go wait in the hall. She winced at the loud stomps Sunstreaker let loose. Sideswipe gave one more worried glance. With an uneasy soft smile, he closed the door and left Shay and the medic in the room.

Shifting to sit on his aft instead of his knee plates, Ratchet admitted, "I'm honestly glad you understand how serious this is. I'd be extremely worried if you weren't scared."

A bitter chuckle as she rubbed her arms, "That really doesn't help. And... they won't be hurt by this, right?"

"Barely. I'm pretty sure they're only getting echoes, but nothing that will actually hurt them." He prodded her with a finger and rebuked gruffly, "Will you please stop worrying about them and pay more attention to your own health. They're fine."

"Alright." Her breath quivered, lungs shuddering at the reminder.

"Hey hey!" The medbot drew her closer, the warm air flowing from beneath his plating warming Shay's cold form, "Stop that right now woman. You've got a lot of audacity if you think you can just keel over on me. I do not give up on patients. Do you really think I'm going to let you just die?"

"N-no." The human mumbled, drawing her knees up again and ignoring the distressed expression sent her way. Shay's volume rose from a whisper, "But... I... Ratchet, I can't fight this!"

"If it's a con, I run. If it's a human threat, I fight. I _can't_ do anything about this!" She gestured at her thin body, "I can't fight death!"

"Hrmph! That's my job." Ratchet leaned close and gave her a somber look, "And I will always admit that sometimes I lose, but this is not a losing battle. As long as you are around the Twins, you're fine. And Wheeljack and I are going to break the link so your body won't shut down any more, okay?"

She rubbed her eyes to find they were damp. When had she started crying? "Alright."

"Good." He straightened. Then spoke an afterthought, "That means I'm denying you the right to get a job in town. Prowl spoke to me about that earlier."

The woman laughed, "That's fine. I really don't feel like doing that now."

The door opened before they could get any farther. Sunstreaker stalked in first, immediately picking her up despite the light protests Shay made that she was fine. The frontliner stated flatly, "It's been five minutes."

Ratchet raised an optic ridge, unaware they'd had a time limit. Giving the wiggling human a cursory glance, Sideswipe walked in and left the door open. An invitation to leave. The ambulance stood, plating and gears creaking slightly. The medic was tired and his day wasn't even half over yet.

"Obviously she needs to stay close for now. 'Jack and I only have to do some finishing touches and we'll try to start this tomorrow if there's no objections." Silence as he sighed, "Prime canceled the rest of our meeting. There really wasn't much else to discuss anyways."

Sideswipe nodded a thank you and peered into his twin's arms where Shay was nestled. The woman hated crying in front of people. She wiped her face before crossing her own arms, "I did not cry." She scowled, eyes still puffy and slightly pink, "You tell anyone I did and I'll deny it and kill you later."

_Relief._

A smile slipped across the yellow warrior's face, glad their human was back to her normal growly self. The red hellion laughed and clapped his servos together in exclamation.

"There's the love I was looking for!"

The medic snorted at the display before waving a stern hand at the human. "You. Go do something fun. Relax. Stress is not good for your systems."

Mouth gaping in surprise, Sides stared at the bot with glee, "Are you ordering us to have fun?!"

"NO! Her!" Ratchet flicked the frontliner's black helm as he passed by on the way to the door, "Not you two. Primus knows you both have enough fun as it is."

Sunstreaker gave a dark chuckle and suggested quietly, "Someone started a game of Calvin ball outside. Want to go watch?" He looked down at Shay.

The woman nodded and showed a shy smile. The Twins knew she needed a good distraction and giant metal aliens playing Calvin ball was extremely amusing. 'Don't think about the future,' She thought to herself as Ratchet left and Sideswipe started to drag them outside. 'Stay in the present and walk on like always.'

A quiet part inside lamented how things had changed. When did things stop making sense? It seemed like that tenuous hold on control she's gripped through everything was starting to slip farther and farther away.

.

.

Music: Ripple – Hundred Days Music

Sometimes I want nothing more than to meet my characters,... and then I realize most of them would try to kill me because of all the shit I put them through.

Read and Review


	28. Chapter 28

The medbot watched in trepidation as the other mech puttered around the equipment with hardly concealed enthusiasm.

Shay was wary as well. She liked Wheeljack. He was a nice guy and fairly easy to befriend. The woman just had a healthy dose of caution for anything that got him excited. Beside her with arms crossed, Ratchet glowered.

"Well?"

"All set," the inventor replied with a distracted tone. He finished hooking up the monitors and turned back to them, "Just need to attach a sensor."

Ratchet rumbled moodily and looked down at Shay. "Here," He handed her a thin and flexible flat disc with a wire linked to it, "Attach that to your upper chest, it will stay. Yes, like that."

He nodded as the woman put a hand down her shirt to stick the sensor just a few inches below her collar bone. The wire was a bit bothersome sticking out of her clothes and trailing onto the table, but she wasn't going to risk messing with it. "What does this do?"

"Warns us if something goes wrong," Wheeljack tossed over his shoulder as he took the other end of the wire and fed it into a diagnostic scanner sitting on the shelving next to the berth. Diagrams showing heart rate and other medical necessities popped up on screen. Huffing at that unhelpful explanation, the CMO gestured at the machine.

"It monitors your vitals. It's just a precaution."

"Oh! And Perceptor and I added some fail safes to the energy wave coding in case the circuit-breaker doesn't do it's job and the sensory network cascades..."

Wheeljack trailed off as Ratchet leveled a look of unholy wrath upon him. Seething, the medic placed both servos on the medberth and leaned forward. "You and Perceptor were _tinkering?_"

"Nonononono!" The bot raised empty hands in innocence, audio finials flashing pale neon orange. "It was a problem we missed before, he just pointed it out! Look, see!" He pulled out a datapad and nervously gestured at what looked like complete gibberish to the human. Ratchet's optics narrowed before he nodded sharply.

"Good catch. Now why was Perceptor looking at these schematics?"

The relief that had started to flow over Wheeljack disappeared. He looked away and seemed to struggle with finding an answer, growing fidgety as the medic continued to stare with growing irritation, "Uuuhhhh... he was just... curious?" A hesitant response.

Ratchet sighed and gently whacked the Lancia in the shoulder plates with the datapad before handing it back. "I thought Perceptor had important official projects to be working on. He doesn't need to be helping with this. Honestly, it's like you lot do nothing but gossip and fiddle."

"It wasn't fiddling!" Wheeljack replied petulantly, relaxed now that he was no longer in the danger zone, "It was problem solving."

"Wonderful. Now finish with the monitor so we can get this over with."

Mimicking the human gesture of an eye roll, the shorter bot pushed a few buttons on the machine while Ratchet scanned her again. Shay, having watched the whole exchange, frowned. But it seemed like neither of them was worried so she would try to be calm as well. Still, apprehension knotted in her gut and pricked along her veins. It was bad timing that the Twins had patrol right now. Trying to keep her mind away from unpleasant thoughts and dark roads, Shay stated an observation aloud.

"Your temperament makes it less likely for people to come to you with small injuries. They don't have a choice about the larger ones." Unconsciously interweaving her fingers, the human waited for Ratchet's reaction with mild interest.

Surprisingly, he favored her with a look close to 'she finally gets it' and lifted the corners of his mouth, "Precisely. Maybe they'll actually stop and think before they rush into a fight because they won't want to come to me after."

Shay's brow knitted as the Lancia jumped in and asked cheekily, "And how is that working so far?"

"Dreadful." Arms crossed, Ratchet mock glared, "It only works on the sane. Unfortunately most of you lost your processors a long time ago." He turned away to grab a shiny cuff from the table behind them. Wheeljack leaned in close, audios lighting up rose pink and stage whispered.

"He just doesn't want anyone to think he cares. We all know it though."

"What was that?" Ratchet didn't turn around to see the innocent vibes the sports car was suddenly emanating.

"Nothing."

"That's what I thought." He turned just as Shay managed to hide a smile behind her mask. Ridiculous banter helped lighten the mood and some of the concern melted a little. Until it occurred to the woman that maybe they were doing it as a distraction to keep her from being scared. A glance at the untroubled but still tired look on the white and red mech's face pulled up doubt.

Okay, maybe not Ratchet. But the body language and teasing undertone from Wheeljack said he might be doing it on purpose.

"Now then," Holding out the little cuff, the medic made sure he had her attention. The metal seemed very small in his servo. Flattened wires slithered around on the inside metal of the cuff while the outer silver part remained unadorned. "Just slip this on your wrist and DO NOT take it off."

He got a serious nod as Shay reached out to pick up the device. If she put it on, it would appear to be only a band of plain metal against her arm. Inconspicuous jewelry that would hardly be noticed but would have constant contact with her skin. Clever. Both Wheeljack and Ratchet turned their optics to watch her as the human turned the curved metal over in her hands. Cautiously, Shay slid it onto her left wrist where it was less likely to get in the way. For a second, her breath caught, waiting.

She expected something. A tingling perhaps or maybe a strange feeling to show that it was working. Only the touch of lukewarm metal wrapped around her wrist showed that the cuff was still there.

Wheeljack glanced over at the monitor before giving a thumbs up, "Looks all clear to me."

"I don't feel any different." The woman mumbled in confusion, glancing down at her arm and then back up at them.

Ratchet went over to study the diagnostics himself, "You shouldn't. It has to work slowly." The woman pursed her lips in thought before letting out a tense breath. That hadn't been so bad after all. Lucky her. Although it still seemed a bit more anti-climatic than what she'd expected.

"Oh."

Both the human and the medic turned as 'Jack's optics dulled and flickered before returning to their normal state, "Authorities calling."

"What did you do? You've been in here for the last half hour." Ratchet groused, a hand gesture at the thankfully empty medbay.

A chuckle, "Nothing, nothing. Prime just wants me to come take a look at something. Are we all good or do you still need me here?" He looked back and forth between the two. Shay shrugged, a half lift of a shoulder. How was she supposed to know? The medic flapped a hand.

"Shoo. We're done here."

Wheeljack waved at them, heading for the door when the woman spoke up, "Thank you."

He half turned to look over his shoulder and his helm flashed a sky blue color with a yellowish tinge. "Your welcome. Don't get sick or anything else unpleasant." She didn't need to see his full face to know the Autobot was smiling beneath the blast mask. 'Jack laughed at her salute before sweeping out of the room. Staring at the door thoughtfully, she was only mildly aware of Ratchet helping her detach the sensor from her skin.

"I may have a stupid question."

Ratchet snorted without humor, "I tend to get asked a lot of stupid questions." He carefully held her left wrist between two red fingers and prodded the bracelet with tweezers to make sure nothing was amiss. Taking his statement as a cue to continue, Shay finally glanced over at him.

"I noticed before that his audios change color but didn't pay it much mind. Do they alter with emotions?"

"Yes." He favored her with a sharp look, as if the human had been unexpectedly clever, "Cybertronians don't attach meaning or symbolism with color as much as humans, besides optic color for the war, mind you. It wouldn't matter much anyways. Wheeljack color coded them himself." Setting her arm down, Ratchet gave the hand scanner one more sweep before gesturing for her to stand.

She pulled worn and ratted tennis shoes on before doing so, "I would bet that has caused some confusion." Now that Shay was wearing the device, she could relax a little. A small smile came out.

"Like you wouldn't believe." Ratchet drawled absently. Putting the equipment and scanner away in the drawers beneath the berth, he continued in a distracted way. "It's usually quite easy but the different yellow and greens get confusing."

"Right then." Critical blue optics studied her up and down as if he could spot a threat lurking beneath skin and flesh, "Anything feel off? Pain, dizziness or headache?"

The woman shook her head. "No. None of that. I'm not nauseous either."

"Hrmph. In that case, you're all set for now. Don't take it off, it's waterproof so showers aren't an issue, and if something changes come find me. Especially if you feel any pain. Do not forget checkups thrice a day. Understand?"

Shay nodded as he helped her down to the floor, "I believe the Twins will be back from patrol and heading to the rec room for their rations soon. You three are planning to leave the Ark?" The medbot frowned and Shay grimaced but didn't turn her eyes away.

"We cleared it with Prowl. We're going to the beach since it is so warm out. You did tell me to relax." She turned up to him, hands on her hips. Authority wise, the ambulance could make her stay here, even though Prowl had readily agreed with the request for a half a day out. It had actually been suspiciously easy to get the Tactician to say yes. Shay had a funny feeling that only going outside for patrol close to base was driving the lambos crazy and they were stirring up trouble when no one was looking just for lack of anything else to do. Maybe they had cabin fever. Or it was payback. Hard to tell.

Ratchet grumbled moodily but relented, "Don't drown."

Giving him a dark look that was missed, Shay turned toward the door, "You are as bad as Wheeljack with the 'Don't get sick.'" It was a dry complaint with no real heat. She caught a yell as she stepped through the entrance.

"Don't get sick either!"

Growling, the woman rubbed her eyes and tried to resist the temptation to reply with something truly rude. The glint of the silvery metal on her arm caught her eye instead. Pausing for a second, Shay turned around to call back.

"Thank you Ratchet."

He paused, footsteps halting for a brief moment, before the bot stepped into his office and closed the door. No verbal response to Shay's gratitude but that was alright. The corners of her eyes tightening, she showed a sad smile to the empty air before leaving the medbay. There was a beach calling her name after all.

Well, it was more like Sideswipe was down the hall calling her name in that annoying sing-song manner but same difference.

The drive to the coast was fun. Going through town took a bit due to traffic and having to follow the speed limit but eventually they were out on the long winding back roads where there either wasn't a posted speed limit or the signs had long since been lost to the tangle growth of weeds on the wayside. Not having a chance to really run around for days left a lot of pent up energy that the lambos used to race each other. As soon as they got away from society, Sunstreaker let loose an engine roar and tore ahead. With a whoop, his brother chased after. In Sideswipe's driver seat, Shay yelled encouragement and warning whenever a sharp curve was spotted ahead.

They undoubtedly already knew every single crack in these roads and having far better eye-sight, could see the U-turns before her. But it was still fun and the woman couldn't help the laughter and yelps when they drifted into slides before straightening. When she was driving, she followed the law to the letter. But if the lambos were giving her a ride, Shay just sat back to enjoy it.

Too bad they didn't have far to go. All too soon the mechs let up on the gas to glide down the asphalt. A light tap on the brakes as the streaks of gold and red cut between some large boulders and turned onto a dirt path. Through Sideswipe's radio Sunstreaker's voice could be heard muttering about grit in his undercarriage.

"Hold on," Her ride gave a cheerfully late warning as Shay's head nearly bumped into his ceiling. "It's a little rough."

"I noticed." It was a good thing the human was wearing a seat belt.

Thankfully, the path opened up after a minute. Rock walls folded away to reveal a glittering stretch of sand. Pale brown interwove with strands of darker brown and a few layers of dulled yellow that covered the ground in ribbons. Beyond that... water.

Water as far as she could see and most likely as far as the Twins could see as well.

Dark blue with a greenish tinge in the waves stretched on and on and on. Bleached crests were visible in the roiling mass farther out but movement slowed nearer to the beach where the liquid slid up to dampen the ground in lazy movements. A light wind tugged at her unbound hair and brought a sting of salt and water into her nostrils. It was like nothing she'd ever seen. Without even realizing it, the woman had gotten out and was standing barefoot in the hot sand. She didn't even turn her head when the bots transformed. Sunstreaker pulled out a datapad to snap a picture for later while the carnelian and black giant standing over her laughed.

"You really haven't seen the ocean before."

She muttered 'no' and shook her head dumbly. The horizon seemed to melt into that infinitely tiny line way out there. It just stretched on forever. Before, the biggest mass of water she'd seen was lakes where the shore was still visible on the other side. This completely outclassed them. A feeling of being very very small eased up but it was not uncomfortable. Just a fact of life.

Finally, face still turned toward the foam-capped waves, Shay mumbled, "It reminds me of the sky a little. It's so big and ….. just goes on."

"The sand is irritating."

Shay looked away from the oscillating expanse and tilted her head at the vain mech. He was staring moodily at the dunes. "You didn't want to come?"

Sunstreaker glanced over and surprisingly, smiled. It lit up his face, chasing away the shadows in the corners. She'd had no idea he could radiate joy like that. "Have you ever seen the sun on water in early morning or evening?" A negative head shake.

"It's worth it. We'll see the sunset later."

"Milady!" Sideswipe bowed as the woman frowned at him. She thought he'd forgotten that old English teasing. "Welcome to Autobot Beach! Best spot to see the Pacific Ocean on the west coast! Except for down in Mexico because they have palm trees." He spread his arms with a flourish like a circus master showing off the main act before winking at her.

An eye roll. "Autobot Beach, huh? I wasn't aware you guys had your own beach."

"Well Windcharger found it. It was Windcharger, right?" Sides looked over at his twin for confirmation and got a nod. "So he found it and the rest of us come here all the time."

"Hound set up a hologram projector that hides the path so we can relax by ourselves when we're here." Sunny added, already walking toward a flat spot where large amounts of crab grass were encroached on the sand's territory. Sideswipe nodded and strolled back through the rock cliffs.

"Better go do that. Be right back."

Shay waved and turned back to the water. She really wanted to go down there. The water wasn't moving very fast and the waves seemed gentle. No big crashes or anything. But not knowing how to swim made her cautious.

Instead, the human called over to Sunstreaker, "Are there shells around here?"

"Yes." He paused as he sat down, leaning back to lie on the grass. "Some of the others come searching but Beachcomber makes sure most get put back. Something about homes for some sort of animal." The bot shut off his optics and Shay was reluctant to bother him again. To judge by the lazy feelings coming off, Sunny was enjoying the heat.

Allowing her shoulders to loosen, she tried to relax as well. Sunlight scorched her skin, as much as it could since she remained in a loose tee-shirt and shorts made from cut-off jeans. Listening to the far cries and screeches of sea gulls, Shay learned that walking across the dunes was proving to be difficult. The sand wasn't burning her feet but remained uncomfortably warm. It was best to move quickly.

Stopping in a tiny bit of shade cast by a small hill, she scoured for shells. Remembering that they needed to stay at the beach, Shay merely memorized the shapes and patterns of the tiny structures before setting them back. Tiny homes indeed.

Sideswipe came back and pulled a shovel out, going down near the water. "Hey! Bring me any cool stones and shells!" He called out a request. "I'm gonna put them on my awesome sand castle."

Giving a thumbs up, Shay smiled and continued walking. Only to scowl at a crushed can that caught her attention as she strolled near Sunny. It was sticking halfway out of the dirt and shining innocently among the sand grains. Shay picked up the trash with a sigh. Not thinking about it, she spoke aloud.

"Humans are reckless and strange creatures, too foolish for our own good..." She looked up to see Sunstreaker open one optic to stare at her in puzzlement. "Yes, I am including myself in that."

A snort, "I'd hope so. Give it to Sides, he can use it."

She didn't know why the red mech would want a dented can with the other acquisitions but if Sunstreaker said he would, she'd go with it. Besides the one piece of litter, the beach was mercilessly free of any other trash. Bits of drift wood, dried kelp and sea-smoothed stones were the only debris to be seen. It was nice.

"Treasure!" Sideswipe cried happily when Shay climbed down to the shoreline to show him what she'd found.

The sand was cooler here, still slightly damp just under the top layer. "You are such a child."

"Always babe, always."

He winked and spread the finds out so they could examine them. The bot did indeed have a use for the tin can. Squishing it into a metal disc, he placed it carefully into the lower part of the tower that stood as high as her head. He seemed quite happy with the plunder.

Up went the walls, wet sand smoothed and packed tight until the sloppy castle came up to the frontliner's shoulder when he sat on his knees. Shay arranged flatter stones in an up-down pattern on the outside as Sides showed her how to put windows in without causing cracks.

It was asymmetrical with one side sloping a tiny bit and sea shells patted in helter-skelter. She was fairly certain she didn't want to know where he procured the little red flag that was stuck in the wall. Scooping a chunk of sand from the top, Sideswipe smoothed out the area.

"There, you can sit on top." Immediately shaking her head at his infectious grin, Shay backed away a step.

"Nope. No way. I am not sitting on that."

"But it has a seat. It can hold you." He tried to reason with the smile widening as her disagreement became apparent.

"No." Chuckling, he let the subject drop.

The sand castle did not look good at all but Shay still liked it, even if she didn't trust it enough to actually stand or sit on it. There was still character in there. At least Sideswipe seemed to agree.

Sunstreaker did not. The sunbathing frontliner came over, grumbled something offensive about their tower, and sat down a few feet way. "That is not how you make a sand castle. This is how you do it. There has to be more water."

"I suppose you can do everything better then?" Sideswipe huffed as his twin started to make his own structure. Not looking up, Sunny replied with flat sarcasm.

"Everything except being a moron. You do that excellently."

Scooping up a handful of damp sand, Mischief hurled it at the gold one with unerring accuracy. The fine dirt smacked him in the face. Sunstreaker squawked an offended 'Hey!' and leaped up to tackle his twin. In seconds, both sandcastles were flattened and the two bots were wrestling. Moving back out of the way, the human snickered in amusement and muttered 'brothers' under her breath. Water crashed gently behind her, only a foot or two away. Hesitantly, she dipped her toes in.

And jumped back instantly. The water was _cold_.

Managing to pin the yellow lambo down, Sideswipe crowed victory until Sunstreaker rolled and tossed him off. Shay cheered him on. The red lambo dodged a grab and then pouted at her. "Whose side are you on?"

She laughed, "Both. Watch the leg." She tried to warn as Sunny lashed out with a kick that clipped his brother in the shoulder. They went down in a tangle of limbs. Metal clanged and scraped as Sunstreaker got the other one in a headlock. He snarled at her, optic ridges down and glaring. "Pick a side!"

"Make me!"

Her laughter died as the Twins froze. Optics flickered briefly before the bots untangled and stood, shifting into defensive positions. Their faces turned to the sky. Shay slowly edged closer to the nearest bot, Sunstreaker, and looked up as well. To the north, tiny specks were visible but not close enough to be defined.

"D-cons spotted flying over. Coneheads, Thundercracker, and Skywarp." Sideswipe murmured by way of explanation, staring warily as the specks grew bigger. They didn't seem to be heading for the Autobots, only flying by at an incredibly fast rate towards the open ocean. Distant plane engines and turbines buzzed just above the sound of moving water. "Maybe we should move closer to the cliffs."

Agreeing, Sunstreaker sidled across the dunes toward the rocks, Shay at his heels. They didn't run. Running showed you were prey.

By now, the human's eyes could pick out individual shapes. Five jets in a hexagon position. All dark colors but it was impossible to tell what those colors were. And then the one on the front left disappeared. Shay blinked in confusion, wondering what the heck just happened.

"Ah sla-," Sideswipe didn't get to finish.

A sharp crack.

Rushing air. Huge, purple, and black right next to her. Dejavu. That looked familiar. How did something get so close without her noticing?

Hard and pointed metal constricted her ribcage and yanked, bare feet leaving the ground. Colors blurred. Her head buzzed and there wasn't enough time to even shout. Another strange clap of what may have been thunder but was much too high pitched.

No time to question what was going on either, before it let go and she fell.

Air rushed up, pushing her limbs behind her. A brief glimpse of land some distance away as everything spun around and around. Dark swells below. Or were they above? The watery mass seemed to reach out to swallow her, although logically Shay knew that she had to be the one moving. Her mouth clamped shut a second before she reached the ocean.

Crash.

Pain.

Cold.

Shock hit. Her mind stopped telling her to do something. Shay felt gravity pulling her downward, arms lifting above her head as she sank.

On instinct, eyes opened. It stung, but numbness made her unresponsive to the mild pain. Sight showed darkness.

Murky blue as far as she could see. The upper part of her vision was lighter, and if she lifted her head she would've seen the sun. But Shay's body wasn't reacting to the signals her brain sent out.

Watery darkness that went on forever. There was nothing to see. Heavy and cold empty space without end. The whole world had become nothing more than a vast and watery void. The woman drifted down, farther into the murk.

Her body started to scream for the need of air. Too late the human remembered she couldn't breath underwater.

Burning pain stabbed into nostrils and down her esophagus when she tried to draw in oxygen. Shock wearing off, her limbs thrashed. Arms flailed while legs kicked but Shay wasn't getting any higher. Her lungs tried to hack out the water that had gotten in but to do so would just bring in more ocean. Panic. She was drowning.

'I don't want to die.'

A quiet and distant thought from the small part of her mind that was hanging back. It watched the scene with weary sadness. No help from there.

A muffled 'whumph' from above. Currents and displaced water shoved her farther down as something big landed in the ocean. The large mass blocked out the sunlit rays for a second and then sank. Down, to her level and then just past. Dulling eyes stared uncomprehending at the blurred shape in the abyss.

_CALM_

The wave of forced emotion washed through her without resistance, stilling her body as a black hand reached out. Fingers grasped snugly against her middle. Pulling her close, the giant surged upward.

Lungs burned, grasping for air when there was none available. Her mouth was going to open without any control soon, body taking over what her mind said was a bad idea. Lack of oxygen had the edges of the human's vision turning dark. Weight pressed own on them both as they struggled against liquid resistance. They breached surface just as Shay tried to breath again.

Gasping in water and air, the woman choked and coughed. Wet hacking noises almost but not quite drowning out the sound of waves below. Tear streaming down her face, she turned enough to see Sideswipe's blurry form cradling her to his chest. They hovered several feet above even the highest swells with his jet pack giving off a steady hum in the background.

"Shay?! You're okay, right?" A weak nod as the human tried to answer but only managed to spit out more seawater. "Hold tight."

Large servos shifted her so she stayed vertical as he angled toward the beach. Still trying to catch her breath, Shay hid her face in his armor. The shivering started almost immediately. Sides slowed and landed gently in a crouch a good distance from the water. As soon as she was set on the ground, the human turned away and puked.

_Worry. Anger. Concern. Furyfuryfury..._

Water came out. And some more. As she hacked, a hand soothingly rubbed her back. Another splash burbled past her lips to stain the sand. It just made her salt-sore throat all the worse.

Internally, the human snarled. How much water could one body hold?!

When it seemed like she'd finally finished, Sunstreaker looked at the spot were she'd purged with disgust. His voice dipped into a low note with ill-concealed anger. "That is gross."

No warning and he carefully picked her up to move to a cleaner spot higher up the beach. The bot pulled out a towel and let her wrap up her soaked self. Even then, she couldn't stop shivering and tears still slid out of pink eyes. Shay rubbed them and her vision cleared slightly but the sting hurt.

Sideswipe stayed down where he was. Continuing to stare out at the horizon, he hadn't acknowledged Sunstreaker or Shay moving. After a moment of wrestling the seething emotions down to something manageable, the frontliner slowly stood before coming over. Salt was drying on his armor and it made joints creak just slightly as he sat down next to her.

Exhausted and cold, Shay showed no reaction other than to nod at him. Her body felt like it weighed too much and any other movement for the moment was more than she could handle. The wet denim of her shorts stuck uncomfortably to her skin while the tee-shirt showed exactly how skinny she really was. It was cold and wet and absolutely miserable. Silence stole over the three of them while water droplets dripped off plating and sopping hair to patter onto dry sand. Sunstreaker sat down as well and started dragging his servos through the ground, furrowing miniature trenches.

Looking over at the red bot, she could see rage swirling within the indigo depths of his optics. When she tried to turn to Sunny, the lambo jerked away and stood. It was too bad a large rock was close by. With a vicious kick, it was sent flying in the direction of the water that had almost killed her.

Musing over the fuming riot of emotions, the woman studied the now empty sky. The jets were long gone. A deep breath and then she started swearing.

Acidic derogatory remarks on one's parentage, along with plain cuss words and threats on a particular Con's person got louder and louder until Shay was yelling at the atmosphere. Who cared if her throat felt like it was on fire? Verbally shredding someone's name was more important right then. When she ran out of words in English, the woman spat out the few she knew in German before switching to Twinspeak for some more colorful and creative remarks. She couldn't say everything she wanted. Some really high keens and whistles as well as subsonic rumbles were just not possible to create with a human throat.

But she got the point across. Partway through, Sunstreaker sat back down and tossed in a few of his own scathing insults. They started to take turns. Sideswipe leaned forward on his knees and made a choking noise.

It changed to shaking and laughter. Shay's vitriolic rant stopped as she turned to glare at him. The human quietly asked a question in a terrifyingly calm tone.

"Are you laughing at me?"

Giggling, the mech sat up to look at her with a rictus grin, "N-no. Just imagining Skywarp's face if he heard you calling him a 'hyper active sugar-rushed hamster with wings'. I'm gonna kill him the next time I see him."

He flopped backward and started to cackle, arms wrapped around his middle as he shook. Sunstreaker vented angry amusement, their furious and worried emotions bleeding away. Neither of the lambos was going to let things go but it could be saved for later. Still mutilating the beach, the tawny mech glanced at her.

"Not bad. We'll teach you some better curses though..." He trailed off before gently poking the sides of the towel as his brother tried to laugh away the anger. "Are you really okay? Organics are fragile."

Shay grumbled, still shivering a tiny bit. "I'm breathing. Why didn't he kill me since he had the chance?"

Chuckles slowing and fading, Sideswipe gasped out, "It's _Skywarp_." He stated as if that explained everything. "Who knows, the seekers are completely crazy. Especially that one."

"It could have been boredom that brought him down here. Or he did it to get at us." Sunstreaker stated, armor flared out more so than normal. "You're lucky he wasn't actually trying to kill you. He won't get another chance."

A small grin as she rubbed the metal band on her wrist. Even with the dip in the ocean, the cuff was warm. It was a good thing it was waterproof. Looking up at the two bots, Shay rubbed her arms.

"Thank you."

Sunstreaker merely nodded in response, still mildly tense while Sides smiled in return. "You're still alive. Let's keep it that way, shall we? Wanna go see the tidal pools?"

The mech was right. There was no point in letting the Decepticons ruin their break to the beach. They still had the rest of the day for exploring and fun. Why should they waste it sulking? Besides, the Twins would keep her from falling in.

"Alright."

Hours later in the evening, the tree climbed up the rock cliffs and sat to watch the sun sink into the horizon. The red-orange-pinks of the clouds reflected in the water, mirroring the sunset. It was hard to see where the ocean ended and sky began. Waves turned to liquid fire, radiance dancing in the crests.

Despite almost drowning, it was completely worth it.

* * *

"This is terribly catastrophically genius!" Wheeljack exclaimed, pointing to the information on the screen. Despite the serious nature of their subject, the inventor was excited.

Unamused, Prowl put his hands on his hips. "I only approve of genius when it is not terrible. Are you certain it is catastrophic?"

"Well... that might be a mild exaggeration." The Lancia thought about it for a moment, audios flashing a dark navy blue, "But yeah, it's actually kinda bad."

Jazz strolled into the lab with Blaster right behind him. Giving a weary grin, the mech hopped up onto an empty spot on a work table. "How bad we talkin'? The 'we're low on energon' kind or the ' Dinobot's are rampagin'/ we're slagged' kind of bad? 'Cause I really wanna grab some recharge righta 'bout now."

"Um... closer to the latter, I think."

Blaster groaned at that admission as Prowl gave Jazz a look. One raised optic ridge was answered by a pout as sad as drooping sunflowers. The porsche finally shrugged and muttered, "Aw come on man, Ahm tired."

The sight of Prime and Ironhide halted what could have been the start of a good-natured argument. Perceptor, over by one of the Teletran terminals, looked up from the scientific gibberish and turned to Red Alert next to him. "Are we all here then?"

"Yes," Optimus answered as Red nodded, "Jazz, Blaster; I am glad you and the others are back safe. I trust the information you sent ahead was important?"

"You betcha Boss mech." Grabbing an empty stool, Blaster flopped into it. If they were in Wheeljack's half of the laboratory, there would've been many fidgeting and standing people trying to stay as far away as possible from any projects. As it were, that terrifying cluttered space was partially visible several yards away behind blast doors that marked his area from the other scientist's. But since they were not over there and Perceptor was very good about keeping dangerous things put away, the bots could relax without fear of detonating anything.

Prime looked at Wheeljack and Perceptor, "And what have you found?"

"Right, so like I was telling Prowl: really bad but complete genius." The red and green striped mech pulled up schematics and what looked to be chemical equations on screen. "Some of it is just the Constructicon's generator."

Perceptor jumped into the conversation, "A brilliant design by the way. Even Hoist and Grapple agree with that. Incredibly efficient but the machine is still only a high-energy wave coded generator."

"Mirage got some data files." Jazz tapped his hip thoughtfully, "They didn't look anything like that generator."

"Yeah, that's the problem part." 'Jack sighed as the microscope-former enlarged one particular equation.

"Those are Starscream's notes. Although they are incomplete, we have been able to infer what they are alluding too." Waving for the others to gather closer, Perceptor flipped through image captures of the same silvery mist the special ops mechs had seen. Blaster rolled his stool over, peering at the picture as everyone else leaned closer. Except Jazz. He stayed on the table, already knowing what the toxin looked like. The mech favored the terminal with a nasty look before smoothing his features. Perceptor continued, "This 'toxin' isn't really a toxin, although an apt name for something so deadly. I believed it to be an air-borne virus as first but I have found my initial hypothesis incorrect."

"It's not alive, is it?" Jazz tried to joke but his unease was apparent.

Red Alert jerked and shrieked, "What?! Alive?!" Visions of the lethal mist slithering through the Arks vents and destroying the Autobots with no way to stop it plagued the security director. It was ten times worse if the horrendous thing was alive! Ironhide lay a hand on a his shoulder pad.

"Easy Red. Ahm sure it ain' alive."

"No no!" Wheeljack shook his helm rapidly, waving his hands back and forth, "It's definitely not alive."

A collective sigh of relief went out as Perceptor tried to explain. "It is merely a semi-gaseous compilation of a chemical mixture. The generator acts as a catalyst to charge the compound and make it unstable. The chemical mist is released and it moves toward anything that gives off the right energy wave-lengths to make it stable again. That just happens to be spark energy."

Blank stares. The maroon and teal bot smiled gently, used to having to simplify things, "It is a compound mist that seeks out spark energy to make itself stable. Nothing more than a dangerous chemical reaction."

"Yeah, so scientifically it's genius, but for us it's pretty bad." Sliding a bench out from under the console, Wheeljack sat down as well. "My only question is where he got all the orpiment."

"Orpiment? I am not familiar with that term." Prowl stated.

Percy brought up another image, this one of a cluster of golden-orange crystals, "A semi-precious mineral that when melted down makes this 'toxin' stable enough to last longer than a few seconds. Without it, the chemical reaction wouldn't occur at all. And I as well am wondering how he managed to acquire the large amount required for this formula."

"Hrmm," A rumble from Ironhide as he crossed his arms, "Weren't they diggin' holes in Peru?"

"Is orpiment found in that county?" Optimus inquired. Quickly searching through the web, Wheeljack nodded.

Jazz clapped his servos together and smiled, "Okay, one mystery solved. We know why they were in Peru. Next mystery to solve- how the slaggin' Pit do we handle this?"

Twitching nervously, Red Alert piped up, "We don't have any way to keep that 'toxin' from snuffing our sparks! Our armor can't clamp down entirely to seal out gasses because we'll overheat."

Rubbing his forehelm, the Autobot leader sighed. "We know. Perceptor, Wheeljack; do either of you have a way to counteract this mist?"

Shuffling feet and Wheeljack rubbed the back of his helm, "Uhm, not quite. It might take us awhile. But right now, best option is looking for a way to defuse and break down it's molecular structure. Can we have permission to bring Skyfire in on this?"

"Oh yes. His expertise would definitely be useful." Perceptor chimed in, looking hopefully at the officers.

"Permission granted."

The inventor beamed and then seemed to remember something, "Oh! And there is one more thing. The molecular density and mass of the toxin make it pretty heavy. It shouldn't be able to rise more than several inches off the ground."

"Thank you." Prime nodded as Perceptor turned to Wheeljack with a question.

"Where is Skyfire?"

'Jack snapped his fingers and stood, "Front yard garden."

While those two stepped out to go find their comrade, Optimus looked down at Prowl confused. "Why is it called the front yard if we don't even have a backyard? Shouldn't it just be 'the yard'?"

"Don't ask." Prowl muttered, trying to ignore the snickering that came from Blaster and Jazz as his battle computer ran through scenarios. He raised his voice to a normal level. "We are at a tactical disadvantage with mostly ground forces. But that can be worked around."

That did not pacify Red Alert at all. If anything the whole conversation had him tenser than a wet cat, "But how do we keep that stuff out while they work on a counter-measure? I can lock the vents but self-sustained atmosphere can only last so long since half the ship in now mountain rock. And no one would be able to get in or out." No matter how good a reason was given, no one ever let him fully lock down the Ark. Even though everyone was safer that way.

"We'll blast that there generator as soon as it gets near ahr base." Transformation cogs whirling, Ironhide brandished his hydrocannons to make a point. Optimus gave him a look, very similar to the one Prowl had mastered, and the big guns went away.

"They would need to leave their hideout first," Jazz mused, "Ah've had Cosmos watchin' since we left it but no one's gone out yet."

A drooped door-wing flick came from the Praxian, "The likelihood of an underground exit is ninety-three point four percent. And the Constructicons can most likely disassemble the generator to move it more easily."

"Ah know," Jazz grumbled, still unhappy about not leaving any lasting damage on it.

"Why not send the Aerials?" Blaster asked, spinning back and forth slowly on his stool. The Prime nodded thoughtfully. It was a good idea. Fliers could get off the ground quickly if faced with the 'toxin' and Cosmos wouldn't be the only one watching the area. Prowl brought up another point.

"Even if the likelihood of the laboratory being abandoned is high, we must still check just to be certain."

Optimus agreed, "It is settled then. Ironhide and Prowl, pull together a team to investigate the lab. We'll leave in an hour. Send the Aerialbots as backup right away. Blaster and Jazz, why don't the two of you get some recharge? Make sure Bumblebee and Mirage do as well. You are all off shift." The visored TIC gave a lazy two-fingered salute before hopping down and dramatically flopping against Blaster. Grunting at the sudden weight, the cassette carrier chuckled and pulled them both up.

"Come on mech, lets go round 'em up."

As everyone filed out of the lab, Red Alert fell into step with Optimus, "I don't like this."

"Neither do I, but there is little we can do at the moment except prepare and hope we're ready," admitted the blue and red bot.

The calm reply was met with a scowl. Anything that threatened the safety of the Ark's residents put the security mech's circuits in a twist. He gave off a low rumble and flattened his armor. "I'm going to inform Ratchet of this. He needs to know what is going on."

Prime smiled, although it couldn't be seen, and tilted his helm down at the shorter mech as they moved through the halls. "I would appreciate that. Thanks."

Nodding and stalking away, Red Alert muttered to himself, "I don't like this. I don't like this at all."

* * *

Two days and the device was starting to do it's job. As soon as Shay admitted she was feeling off, the Twins rushed her to the medbay.

The medics said everything was good. Tiredness was normal since her body was changing. And there was no pain. She swore up and down to them that there were no headaches and numbness. Her temperature wasn't fluctuating and there were no signs that her internals were shutting down. It was working.

But when they were by themselves and Sideswipe pressed for exactly how she was feeling, Shay described it as the sensation of unraveling. It only made the frontliners uneasy.

"Heads Up!"

A bellow down the hall had everyone pressing to the walls as Powerglide zipped by. While he flew past in his altmode, a small red porsche zipped around the curve spewing curses. Cliffjumper transformed to pull out a very large gun and fired it at the retreating plane. "Get back here you cowardly two-timing glitch!"

"I told you I didn't do it!" The minibot yelled back, neatly spinning to dodge the friendly fire.

His wings nearly scraped the wall and Sunstreaker cursed loudly as he was forced to duck. Very glad she was small and near the floor, Shay stayed flat against the wall and watched as the two red bots continued down the corridor. There was only a second of silence as Beachcomber, Groove and the Twins traded looks before sirens echoed down the hall. Following the rampaging minibots, Prowl burst around the corner and drove past. An alert came over the speakers.

**'Powerglide and Cliffjumper. Desist immediately. No altmodes in the halls. Cliffjumper, you are not allowed to shoot comrades.'**

"Isn't Prowl breaking his own rules by driving down the halls?" Groove questioned mildly, a quirk on his lips. Sideswipe sighed in exaggerated sorrow, a hand over his spark.

"Unfortunately he's allowed if he's chasing criminals and rule breakers."

Shay looked up at him, "Like you?"

Everyone else laughed and moved on as if nothing had happened. Sideswipe chuckled before they continued away from the rec room. The human seemed to mull over something before speaking again. "Is it just me or has everyone been a little...ummm." She trailed off when she couldn't find the right word.

"Twitchy?" Sideswipe asked, taking care to make sure no one else was running down the halls at them. Not everyone looked before they drove and it would not be good for the woman to be run over. "Climbing the walls?"

"More insane than usual." A hum from Sunstreaker.

She nodded and waved as Rewind and Eject passed by, "Yes. No one seems to have any patience lately."

Venting a frustrated sigh, Sunstreaker scooped her up and out of the way as a herd of eager Dinobots ran past as well. Whether they were running because they wanted to see what all the excitement was about or whether they were doing it for the hell of it was impossible to tell. At least Swoop called out an 'excuse me!' as they went past. The bot carrying her explained, "The Decepticons apparently have some sort of nasty weapon that the nerds are trying to do something about."

That made sense. Shay had wondered why she hadn't seen Wheeljack around lately. The human stayed quiet as Sideswipe picked up where his brother had stopped. "And the Cons are really quiet. They haven't attacked any power plants or anything else in nearly a week. So everybody's on edge."

_Calm. __Don't worry._

He send over a reassurance as Shay's mouth turned down in a frown but the emotions didn't seem to affect her. Normally the human at least looked over at them and smiled a little when they purposefully sent her things. Now she didn't even a blink. Confused, Sideswipe tried again with more push.

Nothing happened. Shay was still looking down the hall and apparently lost in thought.

Irked and more than a little concerned, the lambo tried again with a massive push and not a little bit of desperation. Sunstreaker jerked, obviously having felt the heavy rush of emotions. Finally, Shay looked over at him but instead of a smile the human seemed confused.

"Sideswipe? Was that you?"

The feeling of wrongness plagued him even worse as he faked a crooked grin, "Yeah. I tried more than once. Did you get that?" Cool attitude. No internal freaking out. Nothing to see here folks.

A slightly guilty wince. It wouldn't have been noticed if they hadn't paid attention to her eyes. Their human rarely ever grimaced, but the corners of her eyes tightened with different moods. She offered a water smile as an apology. "Sorry Sides. I wasn't paying attention."

Nothing more was said as they continued walking but Sunstreaker caught his twin's optic and they shared an anxious glance. Even if she had been inattentive, Shay should still have been able to pick up on their emotions. Especially since they were right next to each other. Sunny was carrying her for Primus sake! Ahead, the hallway split in two. One led to the Autobot quarters and the other short hall to the human guest rooms.

"Need for Speed? You can pick the tracks." Sideswipe wheedled, tossing in the puppy optics for good measure. Video games and food had quickly become bargaining materials for them. Although the woman always preferred the latter. With the shaking of her head, the frontliner could feel his and his twin's hope sinking.

"I'm really tired." Lips thinned as Sunstreaker looked away and Sides couldn't hide the disappointment fast enough, "I'm sorry. Really guys..."

"Get some sleep."

Sunny set her down with a push toward where they could see her door. Easily seeing they were still not happy, the human set a hand on Sideswipe's leg. "Tomorrow," she promised.

"Tomorrow. Night Shay." Sideswipe smiled and ruffled her hair as she said 'Good Night' back and turned toward her room. As soon as the small door closed, his smile dropped.

He was not happy at all.

Ignoring the inquiring ping from his twin through their bond, he stalked off. Normally, it was Sunstreaker who stomped through the halls. Not this time.

The few bots who were about moved out of the way quickly, unused to seeing the social frontliner in such a bad mood. An expression as dark as thunderstorms had everyone keeping their optics down and sticking to the edges of the corridor. Sunstreaker trailed behind silently. Entering their own quarters, Sideswipe snarled and yanked the bedding from his berth. They weren't necessary for Cybertronians but they were soft and the bots liked them. Pillows and sheer metal-fiber blankets were kicked into the corner, soon followed by the large cushions from the couch.

When he started taking the padding from the upper bunk, Sunstreaker growled a warning. He did not like people touching his stuff. Armor flared in response, but otherwise the red mech ignored him and hurled everything into a pile.

Falling down onto it, Sideswipe pressed his face into the pillow and screamed.

Fabric muffled the roar but the pain was still easy to hear. The frontliner was furious and anguished and they could do _nothing_. He didn't move when his brother set a thermal blanket across his backplates and lay down as well.

"Humans don't live long anyway Sides. It doesn't matter because she'll be gone before you know it." Sunstreaker murmured, staring at his brother's forlorn posture.

It wasn't taken so well, "Don't you CARE?!"

He immediately regretted it when Sunny flinched and stared back quietly. Apology flowing through the bond, Sideswipe hid his face in the blankets. Of course Sunstreaker cared. He cared and it hurt like the Pit but he wouldn't say it because they were frontliners. Warriors who mastered the art of letting things go because they went out into suicidal combat not expecting to come back. Sure, here on Earth things had cooled a bit. There just wasn't enough people for really big battles.

But it didn't erase the mentality. Frontliner's learned quickly not to hold onto things because sooner or later it got taken away or they themselves died. The only thing Sunstreaker would never let go of was his twin.

Tired cerulean optics shuttered before opening again. He leaned over and placed one gleaming yellow servo on his brother's shoulder, drawing him closer. Sideswipe limply leaned on the other mech and looked into empty space. Where all the certainties of the future floated in the dust-moat air.

Two hallways down, Shay rolled in her sleep and muttered nonsense. The woman suddenly jerked upright in startlement, choking on a sob as she took in her room and realized she'd only been dreaming. How long had she been out?

A glance at the cell phone showed only an hour had passed.

Sitting up, the young adult couldn't help but remember the terribly lonely feeling in her unconsciousness. It clung even as sleep tired feet clumsily scrambled out of bed and took her out the door. She ran down the hall, tugging at her nightshirt in worry. Over and over she told herself that they were alright, she would have known if something had happened. But that didn't stop Shay from going to check on them.

Quietly, she opened their door by jumping up to hit the keypad and brushed her tangled hair back to peer inside. Both the twins, fully alive and well were resting on a makeshift bed of pillows and thick blankets piled upon the floor by the wall. The light was now off and the room dark. Finally relaxing, the woman eased back to avoid waking them in the case that they were in recharge.

Someone else had other ideas, "Shay?" Sideswipe lifted his helm from his brother's chest to stare at her and she realized they'd been awake.

"Sorry sorry," Shay murmured, blue-gray eyes exhausted, "Just making sure you were okay, don't mean to bother, good night."

The woman prattled it off in a rush but the frontliner halted her, half standing with an outstretched arm, "Wait! You can come in." Her lips pursed in thought for a few precious seconds before she stalked barefoot across the cold metal floor to their fluffy mountain. The bot scooped her up easily and deposited her between himself and his brother, who was flopped over a particularly large silver colored pillow. Sunstreaker glanced at her with an odd look that she'd never seen on his face before. If Shay had seen it on anyone else she would have believed it to be sorrow, the old and tired expression of ancient stones and worn shores on mist-laden mornings.

"You guys are alright?" the woman whispered, not daring to disturb the quiet.

Sideswipe pulled her closer with a warm metal arm. "We're fine. Why are you upset Shay?"

A pause before she looked away from them and almost ashamedly admitted, "Just a nightmare. Nothing serious."

The three lay in silence for awhile, each to their own desperate thoughts before Sideswipe asked what got close to the root of the conversation, all in a simple sentence, "Do you think... do you think that maybe everybody goes to the Well of Allsparks? Not just Cybertronians?" Sunstreaker inhaled a sharp breath and winced, trying to find the right way to answer. Shay slumped, understanding what had caused her bad dreams. Pain, bitter joyful grief, and hundreds of lovely emotions cried out inside as she struggled not to let those flutterings bring tears to her eyes.

"Sides... I don't think that's how it works," The golden twin tried to put as delicately as he could. Only for his brother. He would only hesitate and worry like this over his words when it came to his brother.

A slim but work roughened hand slid over to grasp metal digits as they lay against the makeshift berth, "You know something? I never really cared for religion much. I figured I'd find out which one's right when I get there. But I'm promising you right now that I'll ask and bug and natter at whoever's in charge of human souls so that I can come visit you in the Well."

"You can be really annoying when you want to be," Sunstreaker admitted with half humor and half irritation, faint blue optics glowing softly in the dark.

She looked up at him in the dim light and glanced over at Sideswipe with crinkled eyes and a soft smile, "And would you guys bother Primus enough to convince him to let me come see you?"

"Of course!" the red bot jerked up to exclaim, slightly louder than their hushed tones. With an amused huff, the golden frontliner grumbled quietly, "If we can piss off everyone in this base, we can annoy a god too." The three chuckled quietly to themselves before Shay spoke again, relaxing back onto the soft cloth and feeling sleepy.

"And just think boys, you'll get to see all the people already there and we'll talk about all the stupid things you did in life." A laugh and snort from the two as the woman continued, "But I'll find you guys."

"In the next life, each and every single time? You'd have to be pretty stubborn to do that." whispered Sideswipe, scooting closer and wiggling down into the cushions and comforters. Shay couldn't see his face now, half buried in their pile.

The smile on her lips broadened, "Every single time. That's what family does."

A chuckle from Sideswipe, "We're a very weird family."

"Oh yes," the human agreed, "And that includes several other Autobots."

Her eyes drifted shut and then open as the carnelian bot pushed her closer to his twin before snuggling down right next to her, pulling them all together, "Would that mean we'd have to deal with Prowl in the next life too?"

"The medic would be the grandparent. Jazz is the awesome uncle. Ironhide is the scary uncle. Bumblebee and Blue are the younger brothers. Smokescreen is the relative whose not really related to you but teaches you poker." The golden bot stated lazily from his position.

"Yes Sides, and Ironhide would still shoot your afts when you act like idiots. Hey, would Optimus be the dad then?" Shay interrupted with her inquiry.

Sunstreaker lifted his helm, fins knocking a smaller pillow over, "Than whose the mom?"

Laughter and good natured arguments broke out as they discussed who would be who in their crazy non-traditional family. Until the Twin's voices and amusement faded into darkness and Shay's eyes flickered close in the unlit room. The woman fell into slumber with a promise on her mind and a smile on her lips. In the back of her mind, Shay could just barely hear wind and thunder in the distance.


	29. Chapter 29

Sunstreaker is very sneaky about giving a gift by making it seem like it's not a gift at all.

.

.

When Sunstreaker stalked over to her, Shay immediately put her empty hands up and proclaimed, "I had nothing to do with it. Blame me and I'll wipe all your progress on Mortal Kombat."

To which there was a dead silence. Sunstreaker got _mean _when people messed with his video game scores. Not to mention he already looked quite angry about the glaringly obvious change to his armor. Bluestreak gulped, sending a quick look at the altered metal, and inched closer to Hound. They had been so close to leaving. If they had just gotten out of the Ark five minutes sooner, the bots and the woman could have been down the road and out of the frontliner's path.

Hound was heading into town to drop off a momma cat and her kittens that had somehow found their way into the base. No one would fess up but Inferno had looked decidedly guilty when Prowl had questioned how the little furballs had gotten past Red Alert's cameras. Either way, the cats couldn't stay and Hound had offered to take them to the animal shelter. Since Shay had informed Ratchet that there was hardly any food left in the fridge, she was permitted an hour and a half to run to the store with Bluestreak if they hurried back. All three were heading out on a quick excursion when Sunstreaker had rounded the corner and put himself in their path.

Silence. Except for the meowing in the box Hound cradled to his chest. Sunstreaker's optics narrowed before he crouched down on his haunches, keeping Shay in his sight. The woman merely raised a single eyebrow. She did not put up with any BS and refused to take the blame for things the brothers got up to. Sunstreaker knew this.

"Buzz off for a minute." He rumbled at Blue and Hound, still not looking at them.

Trading worried glances, the shorter bots edged around the warrior and walked yards away outside the Ark. Not close enough to hear what was being said but still in sight as a subtle reminder that Shay was coming to town with them. With his back to them, the others couldn't see Sunstreaker smile.

And it was a terribly evil smile that held the innocence of a child who knew he was getting away with something and that no one could touch him. Her hand gave a twitch at that look, but Shay merely stared back warily.

"I have a present for you." Sunny grinned, all rainbows and sunshine.

Now it was the human's turn to stare mutely. What? This couldn't be Sunstreaker. Something was wrong here, besides the blatant difference to his armor. The problem was to figure it out before it exploded in her face. "Since when do you give me presents?"

His smile slipped into a pout. It was eerie how much her eyes tried telling her that his paint needed to be red at that moment because that expression with that person did not match. Was Gears being nice? Was Grimlock hugging people? Did the Decepticons come over to offer a peace treaty?

"Sideswipe gives you presents." There was almost hurt underscoring that tone. Shay tried to reach out but couldn't read anything, so either he wasn't expressing things to her or she couldn't pick them up anyways. Turning her thoughts away from that place, and forcibly putting her mind to work on why Sunstreaker was behaving like this, she slowly nodded in agreement.

"Yes. And eighty percent of those are given as jokes to annoy me. You don't usually give me gifts."

Seeming to mull over things, Sunstreaker dropped his expression back to thoughtful (which was much more normal) and fished around in his subspace before pulling out a datapad. As far as those devices went, it was on the small side, roughly twelve by sixteen inches and most likely made for a minibot instead of a frontliner. Large to a human but not so that they couldn't pick it up and carry it around easily. Tapping the 'on' button, the screen flickered to life and he held it out so she could see what was on it.

It was a painting. Rough cliffs rose in the background like walls as Shay and Sideswipe stared out at the low waves. There was awe on her face, blue eyes wide and expression open. The red and black bot standing behind her had a servo up to shade his optics and another on his hip as he surveyed the beach with an intrepid and carefree look. Memories of warmth, sandcastles, and sassing sprang to mind along with the faint feeling of salt water burning her throat. But the joy overpowered that last part easily.

Sunstreaker had taken a picture of them when they'd first gotten to the beach four days ago. Showing it to them later, he had remarked that it wasn't bad but could've been better. She hadn't known that he'd painted it.

And the painting looked much better in her opinion. She liked photography but to her it just showed facts from different angles. The painting seemed alive, in a way the photo hadn't. It was a really nice painting. Shay stared at the light glinting off the waves and the metal of armor, the peacefulness and heat practically radiating from the flat image. That was one hell of a present. Turning a shrewd gaze up, she asked, "Are you bribing me?"

"You tell me where my oh-so-wonderful twin is, and I'll give you the picture." Sunstreaker purred, the terrible look back on his faceplates.

Ah ha, that was why he was acting so strange. It was a bargain for info. Giving a low hum, Shay looked at the image in a sidelong glance.

"You want me to rat out Sideswipe." There was no question as to whether or not she knew where the hellion was. Half the Ark could tell Sunstreaker his twin had come running this way, so it was a very good bet that she'd seen him find a hiding spot as she'd headed for the main door.

Sunstreaker gestured down at himself. From helm top to toe plates, the lambo was covered in gold glitter. It was little wonder that Shay had immediately stated she'd had nothing to do with it when he'd come around the corner. It could have been worse looking if they had been any other color than gold, but the little plastic sparkles were everywhere and kept flaking off, and so they were still very irritating. Tiny trails of glitter showered to the ground if Sunstreaker moved too much. And the pieces were starting to work their way into his armor.

"This is glitter." He stated as if she were blind, "So yes, I want you to rat out Sideswipe so I can rearrange his insides and then persuade Ironhide to help because he also got him with this sparkly junk." The mech stated this in such a way that it seemed as if he were talking to a mentally slow person. Replying with a flat look to his attitude, Shay tapped a finger to her hip. Morbid curiosity reared up it's head even as she tried not to keep glancing over at the datapad in awe.

"What was his excuse?"

"He was testing gravity with a bucket. That just happened to be filled with glitter."

A blink. And then she started laughing. Harsh barks broke out even as Sunstreaker scowled and poked her in the midsection with a digit. Trying to get her breathing under control, Shay huffed, "That.. that was his excuse?"

"He's had better." Admitted the Autobot, before falling silent. She still hadn't answered him and he only had so much patience for hunting down his twin. Calming, the woman looked again at the painting. She liked it. She liked it very much. And Sideswipe would forgive her...eventually. Besides, he was just begging to be chased after if he got sparkles of all things on Sullen and gave such an awful (if not funny) explanation.

She sighed and gave a 'gimme' gesture at the datapad, "He's in Prowl's office under the desk."

A blank stare.

Rolling her eyes, the woman explained, "Prowl is up at Salem for a few hours to meet with someone important. No one would look in his office and I saw him dash under there before the door closed."

"Thank you." Sunstreaker purred, handing her the picture and straightening. Glitter rain fell and a few errant bits caught on her loose hair. Heading for Prowl's office, he started to leave before pausing with a questioning look, "You are going to town?"

"Groceries." A quick explanation as she picked up the sound of Ironhide bellowing a few hallways down. Why did he always think that yelling would bring the red terror out of hiding?

Appeased, the lambo nodded before turning away to go twin hunting, "Don't be gone long."

"I will see you later. You _and_ Sideswipe." She stressed. The bot merely continued down the hall at a stalking pace while whistling a slightly off-note tune that was way too cheerful. Whatever he had in mind was not going to be good for his brother. With a sigh, Shay just put the datapad into her backpack and joined Hound and Bluestreak outside.

Blue transformed and bounced on his wheels, holding a door open, "What was that? It looked like a datapad. Is it important? Why did he come talk to you? Because he looked really mad with all that glitter on him. Actually, I'm surprised Sunstreaker wasn't yelling because he looked like he wanted to yell."

Patting his roof, Shay hopped into the driver's seat and sighed, "He wanted to know where Sideswipe was." She purposefully left out the datapad explanation. "Hound? Are the felines going to be carsick? I could ride with you most of the way to help keep them calm." The jeep's reply crackled through Bluestreak's radio.

"I'm good. We'll go slow, but thanks for the offer."

With that, they set off. True to his word, they did go slow, even when the Datsun started speeding ahead before realizing he needed to pull back. It being the middle of the week and midday, there were few people out on the roads which meant it was a nice and easy drive. Although the hot weather was a bit of a chore. Rolling down the windows helped cool the human off, but Blue kept asking if he should turn on the air conditioner.

Once into town, Hound headed off to the animal shelter while Shay and the Datsun went to the grocery store. Bluestreak easily found a spot under the shade of a tree and opened the door.

"Such a gentleman." Shay teased lightly.

Head lights flashed, "How long will you be gone? Ratchet said we had to be back soon."

She reached in to pull out her pack and slipped it onto her shoulders. Even in the shade the temperature was a bit more warm than was comfortable. Shay was glad she had some tank-tops in her small collection of clothing. "Maybe half an hour unless I have trouble finding anything. It's just basic food stuffs. We'll have plenty of time, don't worry."

Silence for a moment as the doorwinger seemed to be thinking before he piped up quietly, "Can you see if there's any cool jumbo sized stickers? Please?" Prowl had given her a card to pay for the food so she wouldn't have to dig into her saved funds, so Shay didn't mind spending a few bucks on something for Bluestreak. The problem was why he wanted them. Giving him a quizzical look, the woman put her hands on her hips.

"I don't mind looking for stickers, but I don't want to be an accomplice." More than once the human had been misguided into believing Sideswipe's excuses and unwittingly helped him with one prank or another. She'd quickly learned to ask who, what, and why for whatever she was buying/helping with. "Is someone going to end up stickered later?"

"No no!" Blue assured her, bouncing on his wheels in agitation. Several people around the parking lot looked over but didn't appear alarmed. They were probably used to Autobots being around since the base was close by. Mumbling something quietly, the Praxian finally whispered. "Scrap booking."

"Oh. Well in that case, I'll see what I can find."

Giving an assured smile, Shay headed into the store. The layout was a bit confusing but the woman quickly figured out the pattern and started to pick up necessary items. It was quite strange to actually be around and interacting with people who were not aliens twice her size or larger. More than once, she just stopped to people watch.

When was the last time she'd been around humans like herself? Shay had been at the base for...almost two weeks? It seemed like she'd lost track of the days but it was roughly two weeks. And adding on the week she'd holed up at the Twin's place made it three. That was quite a while. Rubbing her forehead in disbelief, she adjusted the basket on her arm and headed towards the freezer section. A few more things and she'd be done. It hadn't even been fifteen minutes yet. Maybe if they stalled right up to the hour and a half mark, she could avoid whatever brawl the Twins were currently in. There was really no question about there being an uproar at base right then. It was bad enough that he'd gotten Sunstreaker, but with Prowl out and Ironhide dragged into the mess, they weren't going to stop until Optimus came and put his foot down.

The normalcy train left it's tracks the moment shouting reached her ears. Shay paused warily and turned to see what the commotion was about. A few shoppers ran by her, heading away from the disturbance with fear on their faces.

Now very uneasy, the woman started to move toward the front of the store. Hopefully it was just a knocked over shelf or a dog had run in. Or something. Anything that didn't involve her.

No such luck.

A black and red figure lunged out of one of the aisles to block her way. Freezing, Shay choked off a swear word and dropped the basket. Time to leave now. Decepticons equaled running the hell away. Why the slag had she kept her slingshot in her backpack? Oh right, this was supposed to be a normal errand run. Screw that.

"Hey fleshy." The short cybertronian grinned, sharp teeth and all. Shay backed up another step or two before whirling to bolt.

Unfortunately, the cassette's twin stood right in front of her. As in, there were only inches between the short human and Rumble. He grabbed her arm in a crushing grip before she could run and smiled maliciously. "Remember cracking my visor?" The purple Con's crimson optic band shone ominously under the fluorescent lighting with no hint of ever being damaged. Distantly, other people were yelling. Neither of the cassette's seemed to notice or care. "Payback's a bitch."

With his other servo, Rumble pulled back his fist and punched her right between the eyes.

Crunch.

Pain.

Black.

The human dropped like a stone. Frenzy shoved his brother and snapped, "You were supposed to pull your punch! The human has to be alive!"

"I did pull my punch! It's alive, see?" Rumble kicked back and lifted the human. He shoved the limp body at Frenzy. With an audio pressed to her chest, the black and red Con could hear the heartbeat. "It's still alive. Megs can't be pissed about it being unconscious."

"You were supposed to daze it. Dazed bro, not unconscious." Frenzy complained before tossing the woman, backpack and all, onto his shoulder. Ignoring the muttered insult, he stalked back out the way they'd came, through the emergency exit door. Or, what had been a door before Rumble's piledrivers had destroyed a whole section of wall. Striding past the fleeing noisy humans, the cassettes hopped outside to the back parking lot and found Soundwave waiting for them.

From the host mech's shoulder plates, Lazerbeak squawked over the comm links, "_It's not supposed to be unconscious._"

"Aw, stuff it Beaky." Rumble snarled, "It's alive, ain't it? And now it can't fight back."

"Enough." Intoned Soundwave. He picked up the human from Frenzy and carefully put the limp organic in his subspace. There was enough oxygen in there that the human would be just fine for a short period of time. "Target acquired. Objective: Retreat to Nemesis."

"Shay!" A shout drew their attention. Bluestreak rounded the corner of the building at a run and rapidly squeezed off several shots. A few came precariously close to the minicons. Yelling, the bot pulled out a second shorter gun and continued firing desperately.

"Give her back!"

Yelping at the sudden barrage, the cassettes jumped into Soundwave's open chest compartment while the Communications officer drew his own blaster. Of a much larger caliber, the gun blasted the side of the structure and sent Bluestreak flying back several yards, debris radiating in all directions.

A jet engine above showed the Decepticon's ride was here. Crouching, Soundwave jumped up in an impressive leap and flipped to land on Thundercracker as the seeker swooped in low. By the time Bluestreak had picked himself up from the ground, both the jet and Soundwave were already flying out of sight. With a prisoner.

"Oh slag." He whispered.

* * *

For a few seconds, flashes of rage swamped against her unconsciousness like wolves brushing against her side.

And then waking pulled her from slumber and it was forgotten almost as soon as it occurred. A near silent whine whistled out of Shay's lips as pain made itself known on her head and right arm. It felt sorely bruised but the head injury gained more attention. What had hit her, bricks? An elephant? The thought that maybe it wasn't worth it to get up, and that she should stay asleep, skittered across Shay's mind.

But cold metal searing her uncovered arms made the other part of her disagree. Her bed was warm. And if she fell asleep playing video games with the Twins, well they were warm too. Nothing should be cold. Therefore, something was wrong.

Now struggling against the sluggish dark of sleep, the woman cracked open an eye. The movement nearly doubled the pulsating ache on her face and she keened softly before blinking. Slowly, very slowly, Shay brought her surroundings into focus. Dull metal bars as big around as her wrist stared back. All aligned in a row, they formed a wall between her and the rest of the room. Beyond the rails lay an extremely large space with dim crepuscular lighting. Broken machinery lay in heaps around the room and cast strange hulking shadows on the pale concrete walls. Alarms started screaming in her mind. She didn't know where she was but this dilapidated place was not where she should have been.

As Shay lurched up, disregarding the flare of pain and urge to puke, the memories crashed back through her head. Oh yes, Decepticons. Which meant she was now a POW, prisoner of war and most likely soon to be killed in an extremely painful way. What fun.

"Dammit." Rasping, the human curled up with her knees to her chest and fought off the nauseous feeling trying to crawl up her throat.

It was cold enough that her breath fogged in the air. She should have worn a jacket, at least tying it around her waist earlier. Weight between her shoulders showed her backpack was still there. How odd. They hadn't taken it. Not that it mattered at the moment. Goosebumps showed on her skin due to the chill in the air but the press of warm metal to the bare skin of her arms startled the not-quite-awake human.

The cuff was still on her wrist.

Staring, as Shay's mind couldn't quite figure out the answer. It would have probably been easier if she knew what the problem was. But the woman was having trouble focusing on any one thought and the niggling idea that maybe she had a concussion kept poking at her. Okay, kidnapped. But the bracelet was on her wrist. What was wrong with this picture? It took another moment of blank glowering before she realized that the Cons should have taken it, yet hadn't. Just like they hadn't taken her backpack. Where they clueless? Or maybe they didn't have a reason to. The device on her did look like just a piece of jewelry after all.

Too much complex thinking and her head hurt. She'd figure it out later. Right then, getting out of the cage took priority.

Staggering to her feet, the human wobbled before taking off the cumbersome backpack and setting it down. With a few floundered steps, she walked the circumference of her cage and discovered it was not that big. Roughly six or seven feet was her guess. At least the movement seemed to get things running a little smoother mentally and the confused fog disappeared. Her head still felt like someone was hitting it with a blunt ax.

The enclosure looked quite similar to an antique bird-cage. It had a round metal base with bars that curved up to a top point with a thick loop to hang it from. A steel hatch set within the bars appeared to be a door of some sort but a quick exploration showed the lock was a raised disk with a keypad. Which meant she needed a code. Double damn. And the whole thing was set up on a large slab of concrete that was sticking out of the wall. Maybe it had once been an observation deck. The whole place reminded her of a factory. From a dark gaping hole behind her that showed another room, loud footsteps echoed in the dust.

Worried eyes widened as Shay stepped away from the lock and backed up to the middle of the cage, standing next to her bag. There was no point in trying to stay near the back. All they had to do was open the door, tip the trap, and she'd tumble out.

Two extremely tall figures walked around the debris and entered by ducking their heads. Almost as tall as Optimus himself and with flared wings, they were somewhat more imposing. Recognition sank in her stomach like acid as the human noted the black, blue, and purple plating. She knew these Decepticons. Which as a very bad thing indeed.

"Hey look, it's awake." Skywarp poked a sharp black digit between the bars.

The space was large enough for him to stick a finger in but not enough for a skinny human to slide out. More's the pity. The other one, Thundercracker if she recalled what the Twins had told her, merely frowned and yanked his trine-mate's arm back.

"Quite messing with it. We need to-"

He stopped to stare at the woman. Shay just looked back blankly and tried to stay still as she stood in the middle of the cage. Never show fear to something that in a threat or predator. That was something her dad had drilled into her head from an early age. Being around two Autobot warriors just reinforced the concept. With arms crossed and head tipped up, she said not a word. Skywarp frowned and looked back and forth between the two. Ruby optics narrowed. "TC?"

So it was Thundercracker. Not that being right was helpful. Confused, the purple and black flier suddenly paused to peer at the human as well. Under the gaze of two predators, sweat started to prickle at the back of her neck.

"You are familiar."

She said not a word as Skywarp muttered and crouched to get a better look. "Hey TC, I think this is the Twin's human." Internally panicking, Shay remained frozen and silent.

"I think you're right." Finally moving, the more serious seeker tilted his helm. Cold optics measured her up and down before nodding to himself. He had seen the human before. There, mystery solved.

Skywarp straightened angrily and pointed at her, shouting, "You spat poison at me!"

"What?" Not expecting that, Shay jerked back in surprise and spoke without meaning too. "Poison?"

Thundercracker face palmed. It was one of the few human gestures the Cybertronian's of both factions had picked up but the gesture fit too perfectly not to be used. Wings drooping in exasperation, the Con sighed and put a servo on his wing-mate's shoulder. "'Warp, we've discussed this. Human's don't spit poison-"

"It infected me! Hook said so!" A distraught and unbelieving yell accented with a foot stomp.

"He was messing with you. Humans are not poisonous."

"Say's you! How would you know!"

Losing his patience, the blue and black flier threw his servos up, "Ask the human!" It had been nerve racking when the cons had started yelling but Shay had felt better when they were no longer looking at her. The internal fear reared up again as two sets of red eyes alighted on her small person but the female just pushed it back down and fought for calm control.

"Humans are not poisonous." Rasping, she swallowed dryly and tried to speak a little louder, "As far as I'm aware that it."

"See?" Thundercracker gestured with a servo. His trine-mate was not so easily put off. Sticking his faceplates right up against the bars, Skywarp hissed.

"You spat on me."

Shay winced, trying to ignore the irritation and impatience starting to show on the other Decepticon's face. "I sneezed because I was sick. It was an accident."

Skywarp didn't believe her and TC appeared confused. Puffing up, the violet and black con snarled. "Na-ah. That was totally on purpose!"

"You were sick?" A disbelieving inquiry from the blue one who seemed likely to side with Skywarp.

He wouldn't have cared if the human had done it on purpose. Thundercracker's main concern was if the human was going to start sneezing again because he didn't want any gross organic mucus around him. No bot or con would.

"Yes. Sick." Struggling to appear calm when her heart was racing a mile a minute and her head hurt tremendously, the human tried to remember some of the Cybertronian words she'd learned so she could explain better. "I had a... virus. And it made my intakes... itchy. Even if I had known I was going to sneeze, I wouldn't have been able to stop it."

"You were clearing your intakes. And you were not spitting poison." Thundercracker repeated firmly before pulling the purple seeker away from the cage. He seemed satisfied with that explanation. "There, you hear that? No poison. So will you quite messing around? We need to do our job so we can leave."

Disregarding the clearly unhappy rumbles, TC rapidly punched in the code and opened the hatch to slide in a small metal canister with a tube sticking out the top. Shay edged backward instinctively to avoid being touched and crouched. Pain in her head flared at the sudden movement. But instead of grabbing at her, the con just set the container down and pulled back to close and lock the door. Grabbing his wing-mate, Thundercracker dragged Skywarp back out through the wall they'd come in. The last thing Shay saw of them was the purple jet giving her the 'I'm watching you' gesture over the other Decepticon's shoulder.

Shaking her head in disbelief, and then hissing at the ache, the woman straightened to investigate the new object. She carefully picked it up and heard liquid splashing around inside. After a moment of poking around, she discovered that a cap on the top of the tube was removable and the liquid inside was water.

Meaning they wanted her alive. Was that better or worse? For now it just meant her life expectancy was slightly longer than what she'd expected.

With a sigh, Shay sniffed the water and decided that even if it was tampered with there was little to do about it. The liquid soothed her dry throat but swallowing made the pain on her forehead worse. Carefully, the woman fingered the center of her face right between her eyes. A hiss. That hurt. And flaking dried blood came away with her fingertips but at least it wasn't very much. On the bright side, she had all her limbs and wasn't withering in agony. Hurray.

Snorting at the ill attempt of humor, Shay mentally made a note to herself that she needed to work on her sarcasm. It was getting progressively worse and she wasn't sure what the exact cause was. It would be dealt with later.

For now, the human just dug around in her bag. Thank Primus for her paranoia and the fact that the Twins had given her a small weapon right before they'd gone down to Peru. Reaching under the precious datapad, she pulled out a small tool from among the extra shirt, slingshot and her knife. Sideswipe had said the thin tubular object was a laser pen for engraving and had been Sunstreaker's awhile ago. Apparently he hadn't used it in centuries and hadn't cared that she had it for safety reasons.

Giving both the datapad and pen a suspicious look, Shay suddenly realized she actually had gotten quite a few things from Sunny. Maybe he gave presents too, but was a lot more sneaky about it than Sideswipe. Something else to be puzzled out later.

Pulling on the extra shirt over her tank top, the woman swigged some more water and then moved over to study the lock. Deciding the bars were a better bet, she turned the engraver up to it's highest setting and held it against the metal. The gray bar heated up and slowly seemed to soften, drips of molten steel flowing down the pole.

"Yes!" Whispering in excitement, Shay failed to hear the Decepticon sneaking up on her.

"Well well," Sneered a high-pitched and scratchy voice, "Looks like those idiot ground-pounders actually found a smart human."

Jumping in horror and shock, her grip on the laser pen loosened and it fell between the bars even as she scramble to grab it. Tinging dully, it clattered onto the concrete below before a white and cobalt foot crushed it to pieces. Turning her face up, the human found another seeker glaring smugly at her. Not familiar with the white, red, and blue plating, she glared silently. How dare he break that! And did anyone really expect her to play the good prisoner?

"So human," the tri-colored flier questioned, "Any more little toys in that bag of yours?"

No answer. She wasn't talking to the person who had broken her engraver beyond repair. Annoyed with the lack of response, the jet opened the cage and reached for her bag. Scrambling quickly, Shay grabbed it and backed away but the jet knocked her aside with a flick of his wrist and yanked if from her grip.

She let out an 'oof' as he backhanded her midsection. Stunned from her head hitting the bars, the woman whined in agony. How many more head injuries could she take today?

Rifling through her things, the seeker studied the picture on the datapad and started cackling. "Oh how cute. Tame Autobot berserkers."

Baring her teeth, Shay stood with a wobble and glared. Still mocking her, the Decepticon waved the picture at her before tossing it back in the cage. Her knife got a snort before returned as well. The message was clear: Even with a weapon you can't do anything.

"I bet you think your bots are sooooo 'good' right? Your psychotic twins can do no wrong." He sneered with hatred before laughing at her slingshot. In his palm it was absolutely tiny. It looked like a toy.

"No, I don't." Clenching her jaw, she hissed and took back her resolve to stay silent.

She knew the twins had done terrible things probably as much as the Decepticons had. War left no innocents. She didn't even consider herself a saint and knew undoubtedly that the mechs she cared about so deeply had done things that would make her turn away in horror. The difference was, she still cared.

The black helm whiplashed away from the pack he was examining and stared at her in confused surprise. "...No?!"

"Do you really think I am that stupid?" Shay snarled, lips curling up in disgust and weariness, "I may not have lived through a war like you have, but I know what war is."

It was killing those who were defenseless because if they had a weapon, they would kill you. War was making decisions for the whole and not the individuals, trying desperately not to let the guilt for those few swallow you and drag your soul under. Battle was not only physical, but mental and emotional. It was having so much blood on you hands (from slaughtering enemies in the field to choosing the lesser of two evils) that it just wouldn't wash off.

People looked up to warriors for protection, to leaders for guidance, but really, no one was still completely good.

Flashes of memories ran through her head. Sideswipe and Sunstreaker wrestling outside or laughing in the rec room when Blaster was telling a funny story. The Dinobots playing basketball with Optimus in the courtyard. Skyfire showing the Aerialbots how to fold their wings neatly against their back so they didn't stick out and hit things. People racing through the halls in their altmodes and lending each other a hand when needed. Fighting when they needed to vent. Teasing to show they cared.

She remembered sneaking outside the Ark to look at the night sky just a few days ago and finding Prowl already out there, stargazing. He spent nearly an hour identifying human constellations as well as stating the Cybertronian and galactic names for stars and suns. They hadn't even gotten to them all because there was so many.

Everyone was a killer. At one point or another, everyone lied to keep their sanity and pretended to be alright when they really weren't. Innocence was the first thing to die along with the weak and young. But that didn't mean everyone was a monster.

Cybertronians didn't dream. They sometimes reviewed memories as they recharged and the Autobots had taken to calling the bad memories 'nightmares' even though they really weren't. Shay never told the Twins that more than once she'd awoken panicked from a battle field dream brought on by their own memories, as they recharged nearby. It was strange to dream a titan's thoughts and wake to realize you were small.

The truth is painful but that's how life works.

She kept it to herself because allowing them to know would hurt them.

There were some days where Sideswipe dragging Sunstreaker and herself into crazy things made her laugh until she wanted to cry. Although she'd vowed at the time to never go climbing up cliffs in search of crystal caves again, Shay knew she'd do so without any real argument. Sunstreaker as well often complained but never really meant it. Remembering to smile sometimes was worth any bit of insanity brought with their adventures.

"I know they've killed just as many of your comrades as you've killed theirs. I know it's not a pretty sight. There are no heroic illusions here." Turning away, the human ignored the wrath gathering on Starscream's face. He flung her bag and slingshot back into the enclosure with enough force that it rebounded from the opposite wall.

"You are a fool."

The seeker growled, slamming a servo onto the cage and making it rock. The water container fell over with a clunk. A flat bland look and one word was the only response, "Perhaps."

"I, Starscream, will see those pathetic Twins dying at my feet along with all the other Autobots. Enjoy your pretty picture and whatever few days you have left human." She only glared back stonily as he slammed the hatch shut, locking it again.

Irritated that he couldn't needle the prisoner anymore, Starscream turned and walked out. It was boring to argue pointlessly when he had more important things to do. At the very least, the human had kept it's fear down and actually had a civil conversation with him. To the flier, the strongest and smartest survived. If the human had let it's fear take over, Starscream would have wanted to kill it that much more.

He never could stand such pathetic shows from the organics. When he cowered before Megatron, it was a survivor's gambit. Starscream never let fear overtake him. Not truly. Megatron and the others only saw what they wanted to see. And now, they would see him for the genius he truly was. The Autobot's would fall before him because of _his_ work.

As much as the Decepticon hated this planet, he would admit it had some high points. Here, every organic species showed what Starscream knew to be true. From the tiniest deadly snakes to the largest mammals: It was survival of the fittest.

And the Autobots were about to lose.

* * *

"I'm going to slaggin-gurk!" Whatever else Sideswipe had been about to say was cut off as Sunstreaker neatly pinned his helm under an arm. They stumbled back and crashed into the wall from the force of the red twin's lunge. Sliding down, Sunny growled angrily and wrapped his arms tighter.

Howling, the red and black frontliner tried to wrestle out of the grip and roared, "MOVE! Move damn it!"

"Ironhide, guard the door please." Optimus murmured as he moved toward the grappling frontliners. Nodding silently, Ironhide planted himself in front of the exit in case they made a break for it. Neither Sunstreaker nor Sideswipe noticed what the others were doing, too caught up in their tussle.

Managing to slip out of the headlock, Sideswipe twisted and rolled until Sunny went down. He scrambled up but before the red twin would contend with the bot at the door, Prime laid a heavy and solid hand on his shoulder and held him there. Vents heaving and optics nearly white, the mech looked up with a glare. Slowly he sank to sitting on the floor. His twin pulled himself up and sat down next to the red one. Both gave their leader a hard look but Optimus merely stared back with a stubborn and immovable seriousness.

Gritting his denta, Sideswipe spat out, "They- they-...gah!" Unable to even finish, he put his horned helm between his knees and roared in frustration.

"We're not stupid Sides. We can't go straight after them or they'll just kill her to mess with us." Sunstreaker rumbled lowly. Lips curled up over his denta and servos shook slightly. He desperately wanted to tear something apart right then and it was all he could do to try and hold back his and his twin's rage until they had a good shot.

"She is alive, for the moment." Tossed in Ratchet, as he sat down heavily on one of the chairs in the control room.

It had once been at the helm of the ship, where huge windows had given visions of the galaxies outside and the captain surveyed their course. Now it was at the farthest end of the base and the deepest within the mountain, making it one of the most secure rooms aboard. Where there was once shimmering clear glass as a portal to the outside there now lay rock and rubble. Fractured planes warped reflections if there was any glass in the windows at all. More than half the ceiling was covered in stalactites and steel beams jutted out at strange intervals. Only the fact that the ceiling was quite tall here kept people from smacking their helms. Many of the terminals that had helped steer the ship and monitor the stars were dark and gutted for materials. Only a few were lit and working, most situated over by the corner where Red Alert was currently seated. He had ignored the commotion so far.

Picking himself up, Sunstreaker stalked over to one of the dust-laden dark screens and punched it. Gold servos yanked and smashed, ripping apart the broken mechanism with a startlingly violent ease.

"Hey, no need to be destroying things man." Blaster protested as he walked in with Wheeljack and Prowl.

The tall mech shut up the instant Sunstreaker turned on him. Optimus glanced down at the red hellion, but Sideswipe appeared to have regained control of his temper and stayed seated. He showed no wish to intervene, watching with blank and heavy optics. Prime sighed and ordered sternly, "Calm down. Turning on others gets you nowhere."

"I take it your device on Miss Carpenter is transmitting her vitals?" Inquired Prowl as he came over to the medic.

"They're not great, but she's not dying. Yet. That link is almost broken and at this stage, I'm not sure if being away from the Twins is going to harm her or help finish the breaking." Pulling a bench out for someone to sit, Ratchet kept a wary optic as Sunny perched next to him. His brother came over, ignoring the way Ironhide tensed as he passed by, and plopped on the ground by their feet. Tapping his fingers on his kneeplates, the ambulance continued, "At the very least, her vitals and location are still transmitting just fine. And hopefully they'll stay that way."

Most of the officers stared in surprise as Optimus questioned hopefully, "Location? There is a tracking beacon on her?"

"I was not aware of that." The SIC frowned with a doorwing flick, "But that improves the situation tremendously."

Wheeljack raised a tentative servo, "Well, it wasn't in the original design but the Twins asked. Uh, we thought you knew. I mean, Red Alert backed them up."

"It was Red's idea." Admitted Sideswipe with a shrug. His brother added, "And it was a good idea."

Prowl turned to Red Alert in the corner with a scowl, "I would have appreciated you running that by me." All security features were supposed to be known and approved of by the tactician and Prime himself before being implemented. Instead of being irritated at the red and white mech, Optimus just tilted his helm and asked quietly.

"Was there a particular reason you felt the need to do this?"

Red shrugged noncommittally and seemed to mull over that for a moment, "Why not? The other humans associated with us know what to avoid and what to do in a hostage situation. Ms. Carpenter doesn't, hasn't been taken by the Cons before and she was already wearing an inconspicuous device. It was the perfect opportunity. Besides, both Spike and Carly as well as a few of the other humans have tracking devices." Not a trace of regret crossed his features. The bots all had trackers, so obviously some of the humans needed them as well.

"But did Shay know about the tracker?" A glower from Prowl as he put his servos on his hips.

Ratchet and Wheeljack traded looks before glancing at the twins. The lambos looked at the security director who just shrugged again and stared back at the Praxian with no answer. Doorwings hiking up, Prowl threw his hands in the air and growled, "I cannot work when people don't tell me these things!"

Placing a soothing hand on a doorwing, Optimus bid the Datsun to calm down and turned to Red Alert. "Well, I am glad for the tracking device. Just make sure to notify Prowl or myself next time please." He reprimanded gently. "Where is the tracker transmitting from?"

"Northern edge of Mississippi." The bot swiveled his chair around and sent a map from his screen to a three-dimensional hologram table closer to the middle of the room. A landscape appeared out of the scattering pixels. The south-eastern edge remained hilly with wide channels until it reached miniature buildings clustered together next to the largest of the trenches. Trees clustered in patches here and there some distance from the human structures but the rest of the land was flat.

Ironhide moved away from the door to get a better look but made sure he was still between it and the Twins. The others all gathered closer as Red kept talking, "An old and empty hydropower station. Skyspy updated the image captures half an hour ago. The beacon is transmitting from the buildings."

He gestured a black servo at the tiny ruins. A few appeared to have holes in the roofs while others were missing parts of walls. One little red dot blinked from the largest structure.

"Why's it abandoned?" Jazz mused without his usual levels of pizzazz, spinning the hologram to get a better look. Coming up on either side of him, the Twins studied the map with intense focus as well. They needed to know the area because very soon there was going to be bloodshed there.

Prowl skimmed through articles on a datapad, having searched for the history of the site on the internet, "The river supporting the power plant dried up some years ago."

"Raht, then we go bustin' in an' grab 'er." Ironhide suggested, all ready to go.

"No. It is a trap."

Everyone looked at the doorwinger incredulously. Zooming in and out of the hologram, Prowl studied the terrain and let the silence fester. It was just to get back at people for not telling him things. He was going to make them ask what they wanted to know. Red Alert scowled and finally Blaster raised his voice, "How'd you know that man?"

Settling his datapad aside, Prowl vented quietly, "Think about the timing. We know about their new weapon and Megatron realizes we know. They can't move it toward us easily because we have too many defenses and will see them coming. It would be far easier to lead us to our own demise."

"Shay. Is. Bait." Hissed Sideswipe, servos clenching down on the table with brutal force and armor flaring to it's widest points. He appeared much bigger and more terrifying, although Jazz didn't seem to notice even though they were right next to each other. The saboteur was too busy frowning at the hologram. Sunstreaker remained still and unmoved save for the lightening in his optics.

A protest from Optimus, "Are you certain? They would have to know that we would follow the tracking signal. And if most of us didn't even know about it-"

"It's not shielded or even hidden all that much." Interjected Ratchet, speaking up for the first time in a bit. His lips thinned in irritation. "A simple scan would reveal it. Hopefully, they won't question what the rest of the cuff is for."

Prowl continued, "She is bait. We are supposed to go in following the signal and with the intentions of a rescue. The toxic gas will be there and will obliterate us within minutes."

"Well, what are we supposed to do?!" Sides leaned forward aggressively and growled sardonically at the officers, "Not go in and save her?"

"We go in with the intentions of destroying the generator and any containers that hold Starscream's toxin while sending a smaller number to retrieve Shay." Looking around the room and at everyone's optics, the Prime spoke grimly, "We cannot put off destroying this. The toxin is too much of a threat. I believe it would be best to destroy it while we have a chance. Prowl, what is the likelihood that this is indeed a trap and the toxin will be there?"

"Eighty-nine point four percent, sir."

Optimus nodded gravely before looking at their resident inventor, "Do we have a way to destroy the fog if it is out and active?"

Fidgeting as Wheeljack winced, audios casting an uneasy dull green, "Not really. I might have something that could break down it's molecular structure but we just don't have all of Starscream's notes. Without the entire formula, it's just guesswork. There is no way to tell without testing it."

"What's to stop them from just making more?" Tapping a finger nervously on his knee, Blaster wiggled in his seat. "I mean, Screamer's got the whole formula 'cause he made it. They'll just do it all over again."

"Unlikely, if we can destroy it the first time. The materials to create the toxin are not easy to come by, correct?" Prowl got a nod from Wheeljack, "If it is not useful and does not destroy us, Megatron will hesitate in giving Starscream a second chance at this endeavor. We just need to survive to destroy the toxin containers and the generator while staging a rescue mission."

"Great!" Red Alert flung up his servos in a dramatic move. "It's a trap, we have a hostage situation, and no way to defend ourselves against a toxin that will Snuff. Our. Sparks," he seethed.

Sweeping his doorwings down a little, the Praxian retorted calmly, "We have faced worse odds. And knowing what is most likely waiting for us helps."

Nodding solemnly, Optimus straightened and pulled away form the hologram, "Tactical meeting now. Prowl, Ironhide, and Jazz stay here. You as well Wheeljack. We need your expertise on this chemical weapon." The Lancia's audios flashed for a second in surprise but he stayed quiet. "Blaster, Red Alert, Ratchet, Sideswipe, and Sunstreaker; go grab a cube or some recharge. We will be moving out soon. Inform the rest of the Ark that they need to be prepared."

"But the Decepticons are watching us!" Objected the security director, "They'll know we're planning."

"As we should be. But they are likely expecting a smaller rescue attempt, not a full scale siege." Replied Prowl briskly. That seemed to settle the mech who bustled out the door in a hurry. As the others left in his wake, the Prime called out to the Twins.

"Can I be sure you two will not try to do this on your own?"

Pausing at the threshold and looking back over his shoulder, the yellow Autobot rumbled softly, "As I said, we're not stupid. Regardless of what everybody else thinks. You need us for the battle."

"And we're going to be on the rescue team." Stated Sides cheerfully with a savage smile aimed at Prowl.

"I could not imagine persuading you otherwise." A dry response.

The Twins slipped out, leaving the higher ups to their plotting and battle planning. Despite the worry that they'd try to go in alone, no one stopped the lamborghinis as they stalked toward the main door. Sideswipe waved at the cameras, whether in mocking or seriousness was unknown, and the two strode outside. Hauling themselves up the metal walls and over the destroyed thrusters, they climbed until they were crouched on the ledge afforded to them by the ship.

Letting out a long and frustrated vent, Sideswipe settled and placed his chin in a servo. "I think-," a mild conversational tone as he watched the sunset turn the sky a ruddy red.

"Dangerous habit." Sunstreaker supplied automatically.

Ignoring the barb, he continued, "-that we need to remind the Decepticons of why it is a bad idea to make us angry. Like, suicidally bad."

His twin glanced at him sidelong before pulling a few small orbs out of subspace, "Then I guess it's a good thing Wheeljack slipped me some of his more...interesting explosives."

"Ooh, fun."

An angry smile full of teeth flashed before the brothers fell silent and turned to watch the sun sink into land. Glacial blue optics reflected streaks of carnelian sky. If anyone was around they would have seen the predator in the Twin's eyes and would've wondered if they were prey or not. Tomorrow, anyone with a Decepticon emblem was going to be the hunted.

The Twins were out for blood.

.

.

Music: Fall Behind - Nyves

Read and review. I would love to hear what you guys think is going to happen since this is almost over.


	30. Chapter 30

Warnings: Language obviously, I'm pretty sure if you've read all the chapters leading up to this then you kind of expect that by now. Also violence. They are fighting a war after all.

.

.

Bang.

Bang. Bang. Bang-clunk.

Drooping in exhaustion, Shay let go of the water container. It bounced against the bar before clattering against the floor. Groaning, the woman sat for a breather.

Without the engraving tool to melt the bars, she'd considered trying to destroy the lock with her knife. But if she opened a panel to cut out the wires than she risked sealing herself in until someone physically ripped the door off. Which left one half-melted bar. Since the water container was of Cybertronian metal (and hypothetically stronger), Shay had resorted to smacking it against the weakened cage wall. Half an hour into this she'd made an impressive dent and the tube appeared to be stretching.

Hopefully, if she pushed it enough it would break. That should give her enough space to climb out.

"Maybe I should take another nap." A mumble that was too quiet to echo in the large space. She'd rested earlier. It didn't matter how tired or hungry she was, escape was priority.

Heaving herself up, the human glared at the offending bar and kicked it with her boots. With a growl about her stinging foot, she picked up the container and started banging again. No time to waste. There was no telling when the Cons would come to check on her and someone might hear. And testing how far Decepticon patience went was not a very healthy thing to do.

Bang. Bang. Bang.

Life sucked. Her limbs shook from exertion and not enough energy. And her head still hurt. Stupid idiots gave her water but no food. At least the water was useful, if in an unconventional way.

Bang. Bang-crack!

With a loud snap, the bar torn along the weak point. Shay grinned excitedly at the progression and renewed her hammering with more vigor. Not even trying to be quiet now, she pulled back and swung until metal on metal sent reverberations up her arms. Again and again. Sweat started to drip down her face. No one had come to investigate yet. She had to finish before they did. Crash crash, bang bang. The two halves of the tube gave off groaning shrieks as they were forced out of position.

Finally, the hole seemed to be big enough. The woman dropped the make-shift club and hesitantly slid through. Sharp edges came precariously close to cutting through her clothes but she fit! Climbing back in, Shay picked up her pack and shoved it out onto the deck her cage rested on. A slide and hop later and the human was free.

No time to waste! What if someone came in and saw her? Shay found some broken stairs that led down and quickly ran around the rubble. It was hard to see in dim lighting but she found her way while quietly sprinting from one large pile to the next. It was silent. Where were the Decepticons?

As long as they were away from her, she was happy.

Films of dust tried to sting her nose, clouds rising up in tiny puffs as she snuck along. It stuck to her skin and within moments she was covered head to toe in pale powder. Scrambling out of the first room, and into the second showed no difference save for the latter room had windows. They were really small and set nearly twice as high as she was tall but windows were nice. They made things easier to see. Shay let out a breath of relief at what looked like dawn sky through the glass. Now to find a door...

Ten minutes into exploring the idiotically huge complex and still finding no people, the woman started to hear things. It sounded like shouting.

A boom sounded followed swiftly by something big repeatedly hitting the ground. It caused minor quakes that rattled the walls and sent sheets of broken concrete cascading to the floor. Hardly waiting for the shivering to finish, Shay high-tailed it to the nearest door and kept going. Another large room, another door. By the fifth entrance she'd found a very big and long hallway that looked like it had been two stories but the ceiling-floor between had been ripped out. Not a hard guess that some big Cybertronians had been through here.

By now, the noise outside had amplified into roars and that weird sound that Shay recognized as blaster fire. She'd heard it more than once when the Twins were at the practice range. A distant bellow and the shouting became more distinct. But that meant there was fighting outside.

And small squishy humans needed to stay as far away from said fighting as much as they could. At least she now knew why no one was around to guard her.

"Slagslagslagslagslag..." she chanted as she sprinted down the destroyed hall, skidding to a stop as it curved to the right sharply, "Shit. What the bloody fragging hell people...?"

The altered corridor curved and opened into yet another large factory room. However, this one actually appeared clean with a good amount of lighting and no broken piles of junk. The walls showed few patches and holes, making it stand out all the more. There was a strange most-definitely Cybertronian..._thing_ sitting in the middle of the room. Like a citadel peering over all the other buildings, the dark thing loomed in stately posture. It gave off a loud hum that was hardly discernible over the cacophony outside. Far larger than her, the machine whirled a turbine which seemed to produce crackling colored electricity that zapped along cables and lines to run down to something unseen below.

And the reason it was unseen was because there was a creepy gray fog in the way.

"Nope. No way. I'm not going through that." The woman growled. "No fragging way."

But that machine what-ever-it-was looked bad. And the Decepticons were probably using it for something that would be a threat to the Autobots. Which meant it need to be taken care of. But Shay was not going through the vapor. It hovered from the floor up to her shoulders and moved slightly, billowing out in silent and serene waves. Act all innocent, yeah right. For all she knew, it was meant to guard that machine and would melt the flesh off her bones!

An infinitely of 'No's. Shay readjusted her backpack and turned away to start marching resolutely in the other direction. She was not going through there.

"Dammit."

Snarling, the woman whirled around and skittered up to the smokey haze. With a mulish glare, she picked up a broken pipe and poked the fog. Nothing. She moved even more slowly now as she carefully let the dense growing cloud brush against her fingers.

Tenser than a strung bow, Shay hunches her shoulders and winced but felt only a cool mist tingle along her skin. Okay, maybe it wasn't lethal. Maybe it was just a byproduct of that machine thing and didn't actually have a use. Sighing in relief, Shay moved into the fog and started to make her way into the room.

This was good, she could do this. Just get past this weird stuff and shut off that machine. Easy as pie. Until spikes of burning pain rushed along her chest.

Letting out a surprised cry, the human stumbled back clutching her ribcage until she bumped out of the slowly growing mass and fell on her butt. "Shitfraggingshit. Damn you stupid deceptive... ah, why do I even bother?"

Unsteadily, she got back to her feet and rubbed her chest. The pain inside curled into a hard cold ball before fading out to a low ache. That felt familiar. A sense of de ja vu had the woman death-glaring at the fog before she realized what it felt like. It was when she was away from the Twins for too long and her body started shutting down. But Ratchet had said she shouldn't be feeling pain anymore!

"You are attacking the link, aren't you?" She snapped out loud. Maybe it was, maybe it wasn't. But the woman had no better ideas. Either way, she still had to get through to turn off that machine before someone she cared about got hurt.

The cloud moved forward another inch. Shay rubbed her face. This was going to hurt so bad.

* * *

Music: Les Friction – Louder than Words

_Seventeen minutes earlier._

_._

_._

'_Everyone in position?'_

A growl rumbled through the comm links, _'Yeah, we're all good. Can we go now?'_

'_Watch it kid. We go when we go.'_ Ironhide snapped back at Sideswipe.

Optimus intervened before it could turn to insults, '_Any sightings Prowl?'_

Silence for a moment. The teams crouched behind the treeline shifted uneasily and stared at the seemingly abandoned buildings. Fingers of dawn speared the sky at their backs but there was not enough light to make them easily visible. A static-filled cough as the tactician replied calmly. _'The seekers are within the buildings. Buzzsaw and Lazerbeak just went back in. They know we're here.'_

_'Then why aren't they doing anything?'_ Cliffjumper straightened a bit to raise his guns but didn't fully stand.

'_They want us to go in there. Get back down.'_ Reprimanding, the Praxian settled himself deeper in the rock crevice he'd found up on a hill. It covered his back and was easily defensible while leaving a clear view of the area. As soon as the Decepticons found out where he was he'd need to move, but until then Prowl could survey and deliver orders. To his left, Bluestreak wiggled onto his midsection plating and set up his sniper rifle.

Optimus nodded at the weapon specialist several yards over and stood, stepping out of the tree and making himself a very presentable target. _'Time to throw a bolt in the works then. 'Hide?'_

_'With pleasure Prahm.'_

Moving forward as well, Ironhide raised his cannons and fired a heavy blast at the closest building. Shay's tracker showed she was much farther in the complex so there was little worry about destroying the outer buildings. Optimus shouldered a heavy gun mount he normally didn't use and fired as well. Walked onto the field, Warpath let off rapid shots.

"BLAM! How to you like that? Ha! KABAM!" Several volleys hit a larger wall and the concrete collapsed under the onslaught.

'_Seekers moving toward your position.'_ Prowl forewarned.

Even as he said it, the jets shot up and out. Spiraling in tight formation, the cons fired back as the bots stepped into the tree line and waited.

"Prime!"

A deep bellow rolled across the space and instantly had everyone's attention. Dropping out of the cloud cover like a meteorite, a huge gray shape landed on the ground with a heavy and deep thud. Fiery blood-red optics bore right into the Autobots as Megatron stood. Lips pulled back in a smile that was more a baring of denta. "So nice of you to join us this morning. Although I am surprised to see you participating in such trivial matters as a rescue mission."

"Starscream's toxin will not work." Optimus replied quietly. Above, an indignant screech disagreed.

"You will still die Prime." The warlord sneered. "BRUTICUS! DEVASTATOR!"

_'Combiners from the West. His forces are moving from the opposite side of the dry river._' Several blaster shots peppered the trees as the jets tried to drive the concealed bots out. They fired back from their cover. Minor quakes vibrated through the ground.

A monolithic Decepticon burst from the trees and charged full tilt toward the Autobots followed by a second combiner. Optimus raised his voice, "AUTOBOTS! Charge!"

Roaring a war cry, the bots surged forward. In the lead, the Twin frontliners met Bruticus halfway and tore into him. Plates of armor went flying as they circled and lunged to tear at wires before retreating. In seconds, the line of Autobots crashed into the Decepticon army and held.

Shrieks and howls echoed over the flashes of gunfire and trembling ground. Energon splashed to stain the dirt as Soundwave ducked a punch from Inferno and stabbed him with a short blade. Swinging a leg back, Devastator kicked several people into the air. The battle line waved. Skidding into the frey, Smokescreen zipped past in altmode. A thick black cloud followed in his wake. It made the battlefield appear hazy and dark with only their shots to light the way.

_'Wheeljack?'_ Quierried Prowl from his position.

Down on the battlefield, the inventor used the fight to hide his movements. He quickly dug into the ground and left a charge in the hole. Rapidly dashing a few feet over, he repeated the process. Ratta-tat-tats peppered the air. Several of the seeker's shots nearly grazed his shoulders. Hissing at the volley, Wheeljack spat through the comm link, '_Done!'_

Bluestreak shot at the jets until they backed off from 'Jack's crouched form and Prowl sent out a swift order. '_Retreat.'_

A victorious cry came from the Twins as the lambos managed to tear the Combiner's left leg off. As Brawl fell to the ground, the combining locks disengaged and the Combaticons tumbled down.

Following orders, the bots started to back up. Blasting at their advancing enemies, the Autobots started to withdraw toward the trees. Trailbreaker dragged Huffer who'd taken a heavy wound to the shoulder. Air whistled as someone set off missiles that only added to the confusion and din. Small grenades flew back and forth from both sides. Megatron dodged a swing of the Prime's axe and yelled, "Follow them! Finish them off!"

Just as a good majority of the Decepticons crossed the invisible line between the holes, the ground exploded.

Metal shrapnel went flying in all directions. Bright yellow flames reached up with hungry teeth to devour the titans who cried and screamed in pain. Devestator fell backward in surprise as the flaming barricade grew higher and stretched most of the way across the battlefield. The stench of ozone and heated metal got stronger. Optimus raised his blade high and thundered to be heard above the yowls and booms.

"Dinobots!"

"Me Grimlock SMASH!" The roaring tyrannosaurus charged forward from the trees with his team at his back. Stampeding right through the fireline, the beast-like warriors collided with the enemy in a terrifying clamor and spewed out more fire. Armor crumpled under heavy feet and claws. Above, the Aerialbots left the dogfight to drop down and transform into Superion. He threw a massive punch at Devastator that left him spinning. There was a time in battle where plans meant nothing and it was an all out slaughter. By now, everything was rapidly descended into complete chaos.

Inside the building and trying to calm her panic, Shay clapped her hands over her ears. It was so loud out there! Giving off a low whine of frustration, the woman rubbed her face and let out a shuddering breath.

There was no time to focus on what might be happening outside. Right then, all that mattered was getting past the fog. Closing her eyes and not thinking too hard, Shay stepped forward.

She pushed through the light vapor and kept moving. Even when pain flared in her chest, she didn't stop. Dizziness swamped her body and caused boot-clad feet to stumble but the human only opened her eyes a crack to see where she was going. "One foot in front of the other," Shay murmured as lungs worked harder to draw in air.

Black edged into her vision. This was not good. Growling, she shuffled forward to the machine. Almost there. Just another few feet.

Cold numbness slithered along her limbs. Which was a good thing when her world tilted sideways and she collapsed on the floor.

_Thunder. Wind brushed through her being. Shay opened her eyes (if she had eyes at all) to see gray clouds roiling above. It was too high. She couldn't reach it. Stubbornly, she tried to push herself higher. Reach reach reach. _

_It wasn't enough. Even as she got close a pain washed through her. Burning! Cold burning. It felt wrong and hurt. _

_Still struggling, Shay lifted her gaze to the heavy clouds. Lightning flashed in dazzling colors through the atmosphere and gave her hope. She wanted that. She wanted that so bad. They would be up there. But then she remembered; fog, -ou're dying, -hey, it'll be okay. You'll se-, link, shut-down._

_She had to let go. Looking up at the storm one more time, Shay cried and curled in on herself. But nothing would change the situation. There was no perfect answer. It was time to let go. _

_Shay stopped reaching for the storm and fell._

Sideswipe and Sunstreaker moved through the raging battle like wraiths. Not stopping or slowing, they barely brushed between opponents and tore out pieces as they went. They moved faster and faster. Streaks of stained color that hurled through the melee with single-minded focus.

Even when Jazz radiod back to the main force, '_Energy dampener. Can't follow the signal. Looks like the girl busted out. She's on the move.'_

They missed whatever Prowl said in answer to that. It didn't matter. The possibility that Shay could be in the middle of combat just had them racing toward the buildings. Sideswipe lunged over where Windcharger and Gears were wrestling with an insecticon. They ignored the seeker's instigating remarks instead of chasing them down like usual.

Running and crushing every enemy in their way, until a brush from the inside startled them into stillness. Sunstreaker stumbled abruptly as the noise blurred to the background and the writhering monster that was battle became distant.

_Other._

It flickered across their sparks faintly before fading out in what felt like a final whisper.

Sideswipe fell slightly, limbs limp and optics wide in shock. _Pain/Grief/Denial _swirled across their bond. His twin bowed his head and swayed. A quiet keen built up unconsciously. It grew louder and louder until a rageful scream echoed throughout the valley.

Both voices bayed misery and unchecked violence. Many froze, Decepticon and Autobot alike, as the frontliners tilted their helms up to howl at the sky. Silence stole a brief moment in the space between the tearing of plating and boom of cannons. Straightening up, the red warrior turned around slowly to face the wary soldiers. Sunstreaker flashed teeth as both sets of optics turned white.

'_Autobots, remain out of the Twin's line of fire.'_ Optimus called across the comms while Megatron paused in trying to destroy him to see what everyone was staring at.

Empty pale orbs searched through the sea of faces until they spotted the cassettes. They were the ones to take Shay, so they would go first. Along with Soundwave. Then the seekers followed by Megatron too. It was partially his fault. He was in charge of the Decepticons after all. Oh dear, now that the Twins stopped to think about it, most of the Cons needed to be destroyed.

'_**Kill them?**_' A harsh crooning rumble from the black and red bot. His twin hissed and growled back. '_**Yes. Kill them.**_'

Devastator chose that moment to walk into the frontliner's view, as the fighting picked up again and the shouts renewed their litany. He was the one to start this after all. Devastator was the one who almost killed them a year ago. In one move, red and yellow shifted into a fight stance and leaped forward, charging back to the fray.

Frenzied howls rent the air as they dove into slaughter.

* * *

Groaning, Shay pushed herself up. There was no time to lay down. She had to keep moving. Standing as the dizziness decreased, the woman blinked at the the gray mist that rolled past her. It no longer hurt. In fact, she barely felt the heavy air brushing against her skin.

And she knew exactly why it wasn't hurting her anymore. There was no doubt inside that the link was gone. Where the certainty came from, Shay couldn't say but that hardly mattered.

Lips quivered before she clenched her jaw and started pushing forward again. This mess could wait until later.

Easily crossing the last couple feet, the woman circled the huge machine to find some sort of pad sticking out on one side. It had buttons on it. And as everyone knows, button mashing screws things up like there's no tomorrow. She set her pack down and jumped, catching the bottom edge of the metal and blindly slapping at the lit up screen. Warnings popped up. When her arms started to shake, Shay dropped to her feet before lunging up again to hit some buttons. The spinning turbine started to slow.

As the electricity stopped and the machine ceased, the fog creeping across the ground started to fade like mist in sunlight. Shay sighed, "That's either really good or doesn't affect anything. I do not want to be here when the Cons come to investigate who was messing with their stuff."

Picking up her backpack again, the human pulled it on and set a quick pace to the other end of the room. It was time for more exploring and hopefully not ending up in Decepticon hands again. Without looking back, she scrambled into another hall and fled.

If only she'd stayed a moment or two longer.

"Whoah man, everybody back up!" Jazz yelped, pushing Mirage and Hound behind with his outstretched arms. "It's here."

Hound peered around the black and white mech to frown at the dissipating vapor. "It looks like it's going away."

"Someone has shut off the generator."

Mirage pointed to the silent machine that was farther down the hall. Glancing at each other, the trio kept a healthy distance even as the last of the toxin faded and left their way clear. With an uneasy rumble, Jazz took a step forward and then another. Nothing happened. They rushed forward.

"Who the slag got here before us?" A mutter as the saboteur started to dismantle the generator. Pulling out parts as well, Mirage remained silent and focused on his work. Only their expert tracker seemed to have an answer.

Hound knelt down to study the ground they'd just walked on. There were particles of concrete dust in the middle of the hall and leading to the machine, yet the walls in here were not damaged. Olfactory plating flared to test the air before he spoke up. "A human's been through here. I'd bet it was Shay."

"Frag, were'd she go then?" Jazz studied the room but there was no sign of which direction she could have were three doors, including the one they had just entered.

Letting out a sigh, the blue and white mech tossed in, "Should we not destroy this first before continuing to hunt for her?"

All three got to work disemboweling the generator until it was merely a framework of metal plates and any parts that appeared useful were tucked away in subspace. The three toxin containers were uneasily held and then shoved into the machine before Jazz tossed in acid packets. They stood back and watched as the Decepticon's weapon was melted into a hissing pile of goo. Nodding in satisfaction, the SIC jerked his helm toward the door.

"Let's see if we can get to her a'fore the Cons do."

Little did they know that the subject of their hunt had the unfortunate luck to have found her way outside. Staring with wide eyes at the absolute chaos, Shay suddenly found it hard to breathe.

Crouched under a partially broken and sloping slab next to the building, the human watched giants fighting. Dust and smoke obscured a larger view of the combat but what was near enough to see was bad. Thundering footsteps sent dust raining down on her as the Cybertronians duked it out. Screams and roars echoed out of the veil as shadowed figures hurled themselves at each other. Red optics and visors flashed like monster eyes mixed with brief snatches of blue as the huge beings slashed and hacked at each other. Shay would have loved to go back inside but the sounds of fighting and crashes from behind stated that that way was no longer safe.

Someone with cerulean optics that she might have recognized ran into view and disappeared back into the moving mass before she could get a good look. Shay had thought the Twins fighting with those two seekers on the fireworks night had been awful. This was so much worse.

Trying to stifle her coughs and ignore the acidic stench clogging her throat, the woman was startled when a huge dark shape started to fall right at her safe zone. She lunged out of the way as the titan crashed into where she'd been settled. Still moving, Shay dashed toward the nearest spot that seemed like a good place to stay out of the fight. A half-standing ruin of jagged poles and walls sagged just a few yards to the right.

It was terrifying to run across a field when aliens four to five times your size were trying to kill each other.

She barely made it, dodging a footstep from what was most likely a Con and then sliding into the walls with a thud. A heavy crash and shudder behind her had the woman scrambling back in fear.

Clacking his beak, Swoop crowed, "Found you!"

"Swoop..." A slightly hysterical and relieved laugh bubbled out when Shay looked up, "Yes, you found me."

Behind the pterodactyl came the other Dinobots. The stegosaurus, Snarl if she remembered correctly, charged past them and tore into a large purple and black Con with a sword. Stalking out of the smoke and terrifying light, Grimlock stomped up in dino-mode and roared. The deep bellowing brought to mind the terror of a large predator standing above you, no hope of living and only mindless panic. It had the dark mech retreating and the human covering her ears. Swinging his big helm around, Grimlock nudged at Shay gently and blew air out of his nostrils.

"You Shay okay? Twins mad."

She reached out to pat his nose gently, and gave a weak grin, "I'll survive. Any idea how I can get out of this battle and out of everyone's way without dying?"

Apparently the leader of the Dinobots had a solution to that, "We get you out. Swoop."

Giving a happy squawk, the smaller bot used his beak to pick Shay up by her bag. The human yelped in uncertainty as Swoop settled her on top of Grimlock. Not sure what was going on, she clung onto the platelets where the back of T-rex's helm met his neck. Sludge snickered at the scrambling and stretched out his long neck to nudge her when she started to slide. Really confused now, Shay wrapped her fingers around the edges of plating and held on for dear life, "Um, Grimlock? Why not just... have Swoop drop me off outside of the fighting?"

The bot below her rumbled a chuckle as the other dinos moved forward to push their way through the mass of bodies. "Me Grimlock show Autobots us Dinobots good warriors."

Shay's mind snapped back to the earlier conversation of them discussing the strong protecting the weak. Tucking her head down so she couldn't be seen as easily, Shay closed her eyes and blocked out the noise.

"You guys are some of the best warriors."

He seemed pleased with that but didn't answer as they shoved through battle. Every movement and head turn had the human tightening her grip but she didn't open her eyes to see the discord. Shouts and bellows were enough. Thudding footsteps and banging metal painted a good enough picture for what she would see if she looked up. At one point Swoop's screech rose above all the other noise and a heavy torrent of wind brushed past. Grimlock pulled his head back and roared. The plates below her heated slightly but not enough to become uncomfortable. Her limbs started to shake from the exertion and sweat made her grip weaker.

Finally, after what seemed to be an eternity, the noise became quieter. Grimlock slowed down and lowered himself. Maybe the fighting was almost over?

"You Shay good. Get down now."

Risking a look, the human lifted her head to peer around. They were in a large empty area with only grass and a few small hills to garner attention. Behind them, the smoke was clearing from the fight and it looked like several of the jets were flying away. Shay swallowed a shuddering breath and slid carefully down the big dinobot's neck until she was on his back.

He settled onto his stomach plates so she could jump to the ground. Landing on shaking feet, the human wobbled for a moment before deciding that standing was overrated and sitting worked just fine. Swoop bumped her with the tip of his beak.

"You Shay injured bad?" His wings twitched up slightly in concern.

She waved him away, "No no, I'm okay. Just really tired. Oh." Sometime between leaving the building and running into the dinobots she'd gotten a rather large cut on her arms. Shay hadn't even felt it. Blood trickled in slow drops down to her palm."That's not too bad. I'm not bleeding to death."

One of the others growled from the right and stomped a clawed foot, "Me Slag not done fighting. Snarl come too?" Grimlock transformed back to bipedal mode and stood, pulling out a scary looking orange plated sword. He shook himself once, as if to make sure everything felt right before nodding.

"We got back to finish fight. Swoop, watch human Shay."

Still seated on the ground, the woman called a 'thank you' as four of the five dinos ran back to the definitely finished fighting. Swoop changed to root mode and sat down with her. Frowning at the dazed expression on the female's face, he used one finger to rub the top of her hair gently. "You no worry. Me Swoop call Twins."

A small smile in return but she said nothing more except to draw her knees up her chest and watch the conflict. Now they could only wait.

Across the land and into the trees where the fighting had spread, Sunstreaker had finally managed to corner a cassette. He didn't even know that this particular one had hurt his human. All that mattered was the gun aimed at Frenzy that was about to send the minicon to the Well of Allsparks. Still, some strange unidentifiable reason had him ask as his finger tightened on the trigger.

"Why did you take her?" The yellow and blood splattered frontliner growled lowly, heat pulsing under his words.

Rumble sneered in surprise, "It cracked my visor. It was fair payback!"

The gun barrel rose an inch, pressing against the littler con's chest plating as he stood with rock to his back. Sunstreaker's hand trembled and the trigger started to pull back. A comm link made the murderous bot pause.

_'Me Swoop have Shay. East side, off battlefield. Twins come get her?'_

'_We'll be right there Swoop! Don't move!'_ Sideswipe immediately replied with a gasp, _'Sunny! Get over there now!'_ Waves of relief and hope slammed into Sunstreaker with a force that him straightening. It was impossible to tell what was his or his brothers and he didn't care.

But there was still a problem to deal with.

"RUMBLE!" Both heard Frenzy's panicked shout but neither looked away from one another. Sunstreaker glared, hate and vengeance itching to finish the job. The purple cassette just glared back defiantly. He wasn't going to cower like wimp. Hovering between the bot and con, the gun wavered the slightest bit. Letting his denta show, Sunstreaker hissed another question.

"Is your brother going to live if you die?"

The slightest fear that flashed across Rumble's expression told the bot all he needed to know for an answer. Spitting in disgust, Sunstreaker pulled back and lowered the gun. Slag him, it would be cold to kill another pair of twins if he had a choice about it. No matter how bad they were. Still, he was only doing the right thing because Shay was alive.

As he backed up a safe distance and turned away, the con yelled after him, "I don't owe you any!" Frenzy skidded in from the right and stood next to his brother, staring at the retreating Autobot in confusion. A reply was tossed over a shoulder.

"Next time I see you in battle, you're a dead cassette. Soundwave be damned."

The fighting was over. As Sunstreaker trotted quickly across the torn up grass, the last of the Decepticons took to the air. Funny, he hadn't heard Megatron call a retreat. The Autobot wounded were limping (with or without help) toward where the medics had set up camp behind a large hill and the others were hauling over prisoners. Ignoring them all, the frontliner transformed as soon as there was open space to drive and practically flew to the other side.

Sideswipe was already there, arms curled to his chest as he hugged Shay like she was about to disappear and tucked her under his chin. He could hardly see the human behind black digits. Neither were talking. Getting up, the gold bot placed a hand on Side's shoulder pad and leaned in a little. "Shay?"

Pulling the woman away just a bit, his twin smiled a truly happy grin. Shay opened her eyes and looked up at Sunny. Faded blue gray rings stared at him. "Hey."

"Hey." He replied and then snickered.

Chuckling, she looked him up and down. "You guys are okay. I was worried. That battle did not look fun."

"She looks like a crested raccoon." Jumping in suddenly, Sideswipe spat out the first thought that crossed his mind. Shay blinked at him while Sunny just gave his brother a look.

The human did indeed have small resemblance to the masked robber. Both eyes were dark and slightly puffy while a large deep bruise sat right between her brows and stretched upward in painful yellow-green. Beyond that, she looked horridly exhausted and too thin in the large stained tee-shirt. A long scab on her arms cracked a little and started to seep with red. They all looked as they felt; beat-up, and needing a good rest.

A callused hand stretched out and trembled slightly as her fingers brushed against Sunstreaker's hand where it rested on his brother's shoulder. "You guys felt...?"

Silence as they looked away and then Sideswipe spoke, "Yeah."

"Oh."

Shay felt the need to apologize. Causing pain for them was not what she'd wanted. Scrunching her face up from too many shell-shocked emotions and not enough rest or food, the woman drew her knees to her chest. Arms hid her bruised face.

One of them rubbed her back carefully as she let it out. It wasn't loud. Shay never made noise when she cried. Silently, tears poured out until the twins started murmuring silly things in Twinspeak to make her laugh. After a few minutes, she calmed down and wiped away the waterworks. Pale dust came away with the drops. "Sorry."

Sideswipe blew out a breath to make her hair poof up, "No apologizing. Just... don't leave."

"I'm not leaving. I promise." She said, while Sunstreaker wiped the energon off his armor. The red and black bot carefully handed her over to him as they headed back toward the Autobots. Shay leaned her head against warm front armor and shifted so her backpack wasn't crushed. The sunlight from above was nice. Laying there safe was nice. Today would be okay. "Sunstreaker?"

"Yes?"

She was really tired. The edges of her vision were going fuzzy now that the adrenaline was wearing off. "Can you tell the others... tell them that they have to wait... talk to me later." A yawn. "I'm staying with you guys till I wake up..."

The woman fell asleep in seconds and didn't see the red and yellow bots grin as he answered. "Yeah, you're staying with us."

* * *

.

.

Cybertronians have a tendency to blow air out of their vents and onto others for a variety of reasons. One of them is marking someone with their scent to say "this person is mine".


	31. Chapter 31 Epilogue

To say he was startled was putting it mildly.

Eight shots later and with an empty clip, Darian Carpenter was clicking the trigger on the bullet-less gun and swearing as he stared wide-eyed at the large metal aliens. Sunstreaker was also swearing, curses against the tiny nicks now adorning his frame. Face going red, Shay tried to calm down her father with soothing words but a few blistering vulgarities slipped in as she was rapidly losing any patience she had for the lot of them.

The only one not swearing was Sideswipe. Oh no, that little glitch was sitting on his aft and _laughing._

"Geez Shay, what is it with your family and shooting people four times your size?" He giggled and then started to cackle at the expression on Darian's face.

"Shut up slagger," A heated hiss from the woman as she put her hands on Mr. Carpenter's arm, "Dad, Dad it's okay. Put the damn gun down."

"Shay..."

He trailed off, still staring at the Twins. Wary eyes flicked to Ironhide and Jazz in altmode. They were hanging back but drove up cautiously as the man started to calm down. "They're Autobots."

"Yes. So you're not allowed to shoot them. Put the gun away before I take it." Hands on her hips, the daughter gave Darian a stern look with one eyebrow raised.

Slowly, heartbeat falling to a calmer pace, he tucked the gun into his back pocket. The fact that he'd brought his gun wasn't really a surprise to the woman. Him shooting the bots had not however, even crossed her mind. Hazel eyes studied the metal titans with no clue as to what he was thinking. "You're friends with Autobots."

The Twins grew quiet and waited as the father and daughter conversed, tension radiating from their body language. Her mouth twitched in irritation. She took a calming breath before speaking, "Yes, I am. Deal with it and apologize to the Twins please."

"They surprised me! And nearly ran me over!" Muted anger flashed across the man's face.

"You shot them and they did not run you over. Trust me, Sunstreaker wouldn't want the blood on him." Her teeth ground together as she retorted, "If you can't have a civil conversation I'll ask Ironhide to mediate. And he settles things with his guns. So go apologize."

The glaring contest lasted several seconds before Darian rubbed the bridge of his nose, "You got your stubbornness from your mother."

"And my authority issues from you."

Sighing, but not disagreeing, the man turned to the silently watching lambos sitting on the grass. It was a good thing the park outside of town was pretty empty, otherwise someone would have been concerned about the gunshots. "Sorry for shooting you. I wasn't expecting giant robot aliens." He inclined his head stiffly.

Shay narrowed her eyes and rumbled lowly, "Mechs dad, not robots."

"Aw, that's okay! It kinda tickled." Sideswipe butted in easily with a good-natured grin, "I'm Sideswipe. Autobot, frontliner, and Best Most Awesomest Warrior in the Universe."

"Oh yeah? Says who, 'cause I saw ya runnin' from Prowl this mornin' like yer aft was on fiah." Jumping to root-mode, Ironhide tried to stare down the red mech while Shay and Sunstreaker groaned. At least this time Darian didn't flip out. The woman marched over to put herself in front of Mischief and started late introductions.

"Alright Dad, Sideswipe and Sunstreaker." She pointed to Sides and then the scowling lambo. He was not happy about the scratches. Her hand waved to the other two. "That's Ironhide. Ask him to show you his guns. You'll like them. And that is Jazz."

The Porsche transformed in a dizzying move and landed as a mech to give a graceful bow as the woman continued, "He's a tricky bastard but a good mech. Just don't play games with him."

"Hey!" A sharp protest as the Twins chuckled.

Darian nodded to each of them before turning to his daughter. The corners of his eyes crinkled and his mouth turned down in worry. "Why do I think you're not coming home this time?"

"I am not."

It was a quiet but firm answer as the giants around them shifted uneasily, feeling as if they were intruding. All except Jazz that is. The special ops mech's job was to listen in on just about everything. Taking off his ball cap, the father ran a hand through short hair before blowing out a tired sigh. "You know, I was real worried when you left. A note isn't really enough, you know? Especially when you don't answer your phone and I don't know what's going on. But you came home and I thought it'd be okay but you left again."

"And South Carolina is pretty far but you're a grown woman and I knew where you were and could come see you. And you just up and took off _again _with only a short warning and without really saying where you were going. I hoped you'd come home but you didn't and..." He trailed off, looking determinately at the ground. "I just don't want to lose my daughter."

"Dad...," struggling for words for a second, Shay knotted her fingers before grabbing his hand, "I am sorry. I could have done things better and I'm sorry for making you worry. But... you are right. I am an adult and I just needed to go. And I will always come home. Just not to stay."

Gray-blue eyes bore into his pleadingly before he pulled her into a brief hug. Pulling away, the two straightened as if the short lapse into emotions hadn't happened.

Tugging at his wrist, the young woman pulled him toward Ironhide, "We'll catch up in a few minutes. Don't turn down a chance to see really neat guns."

The man's eyes lit with a glint of curiosity as the big mech straightened proudly, happy to show off. Shay gave Jazz a look but the black and white just flashed his denta in a smile and sat back. He would be content to watch.

Sunstreaker leaned over to grumble in her ear, "You owe me a polish."

"You two are in such big trouble, I can't even describe it." she hissed, face calmly blank in case her dad looked over. Sideswipe snickered quietly as he crouched on her right.

"We didn't know he would shoot us. That was funny."

Shay tilted her head to flash pale eyes for the briefest of seconds, "You drove within three feet of him and transformed before I could warn him. You did that on purpose." An unrepentant huff blasted from the gold mech's vents while the red devil chuckled again. Shaking her head at their antics, the woman rolled her eyes.

"When we get back to base, you two are dead mechs."

.

* * *

.

The low burn of chatter in the recreation room was actually quite soothing to listen to. Shay did not do well with people, that is to say, she often found herself uncomfortable when interacting with others. But that didn't mean she couldn't enjoy being around them. And since the woman was slowly but surely getting to know the bots of the Ark, then it just made things a bit easier.

Humming along to the music Blaster was dancing to, she typed on the human-sized datapad full of paperwork. Quiet footsteps drew her attention. Shay glanced up to see Hound trying to sneakily set a potted plant on the table that was her current seat.

"Hello Hound." She greeted mildly, the corner of her mouth ticking up as the green jeep startled.

"Oh,... uh, hi Shay. How are you?"

Abandoning stealth, the mech slid the flowers to the middle and smiled at her. A perplexed eyebrow raised, "I am fine. The plant...?"

"Hyacinths." Hound answered. He pulled out a small watering can and wet the soil before moving to the table next to hers to set down another pot. "Carly convinced Optimus to let us put them in the rec room for a day because they smell nice. But they have to go back to the greenhouse room tomorrow or they'll start to wilt because of the wrong lighting."

Shay hummed in agreement and stood with a stretch. Going over, the woman sniffed at the violet stalks. "They do smell wonderful. You sure do have a lot of wonderful plants in there. I'll have to come by sometime to see, if that's alright."

The mech nodded eagerly, optics lighting up at someone else's interest in his hobby. "Anytime. Trailbreaker and Beachcomber help with those often too. We can show you some of the alien flora from other planets."

Movement at the door halted their conversation. Prowl stalked into the room with what seemed to be a single-minded focus on the energon dispenser. Unfortunately for the black and white, two people were intent to catch him before then. Not even three steps in and the Twins barreled forward. Sliding to a stop right in front of the affronted Autobot, Sideswipe started saying something that Shay couldn't hear. Prowl and Sides seemed to be having a whispered argument while the golden twin looked on. His optics flickered to Shay and stayed there for a moment with unreadable thoughts before returning to the other two.

Now thoroughly distracted from their conversation by the spectacle, Hound bid Shay a good day, "I'll see you later. I still have a few more pots to set out."

She merely nodded and watched as Sideswipe made some smooth hand gestures. Based on prior events, he was most likely saying he was innocent or 'I've got this'. Strangely, it looked more like the latter. In return, the Praxian just stared up at the mech with THE LOOK. It grew quiet as everyone watched to see what was happening. Frowning, Shay got the sneaky suspicion everyone else could hear what was being said. Stupid human ears weren't as good as audios.

Staggering back in mock horror, Sideswipe gasped loudly and clutched his chestplates before dramatically falling to the floor. The audience around the room clapped at the performance until Jazz shouted, "He's dead Jim! He's dead!"

Cheers turned to outright cackling even as the Praxian narrowed his optics. "My name is Prowl. Not Jim."

The mech flicked a doorwing and then tilted his helm at the still-standing frontliner. Sunstreaker rolled his optics and sighed, the weary kind that comes from daily practice, before grabbing his brother by the armor near the back of his neck and hauling him up. Attention dissipated as Prowl returned to his mission for energon and Sunny dragged his twin toward the human.

Half clinging, half hanging limp in his brother's grip, Sideswipe sing-songed cheerfully, "Shaaaayyyyyy!"

Eyes turned frosty.

"Awww, come on. You're not still mad, are you?" A steel ball the size of the woman's pinky nail smacked him in the forehead, leaving a tiny scratch in the black metal. The mech yelped in surprise and rubbed his helm with a pout.

"Of course she's still mad. And that did not hurt, you big sparkling." Dropping the red mech, Sunstreaker snorted. He glared resolutely at the wall and muttered. "Ask a stupid question."

Shay frowned as Sunny avoided her gaze but replied promptly while setting down the slingshot, "Anger is such a strong word. I prefer temporarily aggravated." She had asked them to behave. Just for the first meeting. Of course that couldn't happen.

"He liked us by the end of it. And I apologized!" The red lambo crossed his arms like a petulant child. His brother pinched the bridge of his nasal ridge and refused to comment. Giving the frazzled bot a sidelong look, the human relented.

"It ended better than it started. If I hadn't vouched for you there would have been trouble." Sunstreaker was still avoiding her gaze. Tense blue optics flickered from the wall to the empty space next to them to the other occupants of the room and then back. Putting her hands in her pockets, Shay finally questioned, "Is something wrong?"

"No."

Not believing the flat retort, she looked at Sideswipe only to find that he also suddenly found everywhere else more interesting. It was moments like these that the loss of the link was shoved to the forefront of her mind. Three week without and the odd feeling of something missing still snuck up on her. Three weeks and counting. It hurt Shay that she couldn't tell what the problem was.

Which left doing it the old-fashioned way: asking and stubborn bribery.

"Boys...?"

"So, we have something to ask you..." Started the red mech at the same time Sunny poured out, "We were wondering..."

They look at each other, communicating silently before Sideswipe nodded at his brother. Sinking into a seat so they were closer to eye level, Sunstreaker tried again, "Cosmos picked up Autobot frequencies in a galaxy that's not too far. Omega Supreme is taking us and some others to go check it out. It's a... four month trip."

"A mission out in space..." Shay repeated quietly, dread pooling in her gut. Four months without the Twins. Four months without Sunstreaker's barbed insults and Sideswipe's jokes. Even though the female slammed a stone mask onto her features, some little note of despair must have shown.

"Your coming with us." Giving a hard stare that dared her to argue, the yellow bot crossed his arms.

Instantly, the human's eyes flashed and she seemed to puff up in indignation, "_Excuse_ me!?"

Sideswipe stomped on his brother's foot and hissed, "That's not asking! You're supposed to ask!" He turned to the woman and pleaded, biting his bottom lip. "You're coming with us please?"

Huffing, Shay relaxed her shoulders, "Thank you, that's much better, wait... Space! You want me to come with you out there?!" Her mouth dropped open in surprise. The idea of going with them hadn't even crossed her mind. Space was dark. It was a cold never-ending void. And although she wouldn't admit this aloud, the Twins already knew the woman was scared of such a place. There were no trees and mountains and sky. There was no stability for her.

"Please?"

While the red twin was the one to say it, she could see the hope lurking in Sunstreaker's optics too, along with caution and the beginning dregs of disappointment. He'd been so hesitant to bring this up because he was afraid she'd say no.

Licking her lips as she searched for an answer, Shay mumbled, "It's... it's so big, and..."

"Everyone will be keeping an optic on one another. No one will get lost or left behind." Sideswipe reassured her.

"I have work." Not an excuse but a worry, as she looked down at the datapad. While paperwork was not her forte, she liked helping the Witwicky's as an Autobot-Human Relations representative. And the Dinobots would be disappointed that she wouldn't come read them a story every other evening. The giant metal lizards had grown fond of the books and had even started to bring their own favorites for her to read to them.

The red mech grinned, "They did just fine before you came. They can handle themselves. Prowl said you could go too. I was just afraid he'd mention it before we got a chance to, actually..." He scratched the back of his helm while Sullen remained silent and waiting. At least now Shay knew what that whole episode earlier had been about. The staring between the gold mech and the woman commenced and held for a long moment when she didn't immediately reply. Truthfully, her head was spinning around all the possibilities and remained unsure of what to say.

Finally, Sunstreaker leaned in and asked quietly, "Have you ever seen nebulas give off excess charge when they interact with magnetic solar flares?" A suspicious look answered.

"You know I haven't."

"Well, they put earth storms to shame. You'll love them." The mech stated, still expectantly waiting for her acceptance or refusal.

She sighed and rubbed her face. Now it was her turn to try and avoid eye contact. A whisper slipped out as she buried her head in her hands. "My place has always been here, where the maple trees and wild raspberries grow."

"We'll be there the whole time."

Raising her head at Sideswipe's reply, she scratched at her hair and finally nodded. "Okay. I'll go out in the huge fricking void that absolutely _terrifies_ me," she emphasized, "and if I end up dead, I'm haunting your afts."

The Twins whooped, Mischief louder than his twin, and yelled at Smokescreen that they owed him some credits because she'd agreed. Groaning at their immaturity, Shay leaned over to whack them both on their arms. Sideswipe just flopped onto a seat and used his arms to drag her over for a hug. Growling about public displays of affection, the human looked at Sunstreaker for a rescue only to see him smirking.

"Sides, okay Sides, I'm good. My hug quota is filled for the day." Pretending not to enjoy the sentiment because of the others around them, she straightened her clothing. A thought hit her. Shay frowned, eyebrows scrunching, and stared up at them. "Would this have anything to do with why my treasure box is suddenly not under my bed where it's supposed to be?"

"You mean the junky tool box?" Sunstreaker made his disgust for her possession apparent.

"Well, we were mostly sure you'd agree so... We may have already moved it aboard?" The carnelian lambo grinned with the most innocent expression he could muster. Then bolted.

Spitting wrathful and derisive insults, Shay snarled about people touching stuff without asking. She hopped down from the table and took off after the fleeing and giggling frontliner. As they chased each other around the other Autobots and out the door, Sunstreaker huffed in amusement and got up to follow. He had to make sure they didn't kill each other before their adventure began. They were all going to go visit the stars after all.

.

* * *

.

They sped through the streets like eels in water; quick, smooth, and seemingly effortless.

Dark gold metal glowed beneath neon lights and intersections. Behind, the carnelian twin revved his engines and easily maneuvered around every other vehicle on the road. The Lamborghini in front flashed his tail lights, slowing down before speeding up again as if to say: _Ha! I'm carrying extra weight and I'm still faster!_ Engine growling a retort, the other pulled up right behind his smug brother and flicked on his brights.

_Laughter._

The human sitting in the driver's seat of the tawny sports car chuckled at the antics. Wind rushed through the half-inch gap of the open window to tangle strands of hair while bringing the precious scents of speed, freedom, and the coming rain. Underlying that was smoke and concrete but it could hardly be noticed when they were moving so fast. Primus knew the lamborghinis loved the feeling of wind on their frames as much as the woman did.

As they passed under flashes of nightlife, a coast around a turn heralded them through the club area. Pulsing beats echoed between brick walls but above it rose a distant peal of thunder.

_'__There/Yes/Follow.__'_

Exhilaration sang in energon lines and blood veins as the engines picked up the pace to trail after the thunderheads and growing winds. As others went inside to escape the weather, the three zipped through sparse traffic and under the tall building's glare, intent nearly buzzing around them.

Leaving behind the city, the bots hurtled towards the open road. Lightning crackled overhead while surging clouds moved to cloak the stars.

Down a flat night road going through empty land, they chased the storm.

.

.

.

Music: Satellite – Rise Against

**Fin**

**Author's Notes: (just realized I'm technically not allowed to have a chapter with just author's notes so moving it here.)**

A year and half and I finally finish this thing.

So this story started out of hundreds of random ideas that constantly bother me. The idea was that someone ended up with a spark container with the Twin's sparks and was trying to get them safely back to the Autobots while having no clue on what the sparks actually were. And then it snowballed from there.

Shay was just aggressive, at first. She snarled and glared while trying to stay polite because that's how she was brought up but she didn't want anyone near her or the sparks. And trying to figure out her personality along the way was pretty interesting. How she ended up dealing with the Twin's when they got back into their bodies was funny as hell.

You have the cheerful mischief maker, the sullen antisocial warrior and the paranoid grouch. Somehow or another, Shay's personality did not take well to Sunstreaker's (or Ratchets, and I was honestly not expecting that. I thought they would commiserate together.) And somehow their conversations just got volatile. Then Sideswipe decided that Shay being a grouch was hilarious and started to annoy the crap out of her for laughs. The nicknames were a surpise. I did plan on the link being established but the protective rage, the sickness, the Decepticons being Cons and Starscream's toxin and all that just showed up along the way.

So it's been a long and wild ride with ups and downs and learning how to write. This is the first story that I've actually finished that's not just a short thing. A little world building, looking up characters and personalities, researching tons and tons of random things, took a lot of effort and time and I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out. Granted, I think the latter half of the story is probably better than the first half (writing style) but overall, I'm happy with it.

Thank you Tigerlilly, for reading every chapter before I posted it and pointed out things that didn't make sense as well as laughing at the antics. Love you sis.

Thank you to everyone else who reviewed, favorited, or followed because the fact that other people were interested in this crazy story pushed me to really finish it. I'm grateful and I know Shay probably is too (when she's not trying to hunt me down for tossing crazy things in her life. "If I didn't then you wouldn't have met the Twins!" -starts running in the other direction.)

Thanks.

Shay, Sunstreaker, and Sideswipe: May you three annoy the hell out of each other, have many crazy adventures, and continue to chase the storms. Love you guys. Thank you for inspiring me.

.

.

Twin's theme song:

Avicii – Hey Brother

12 Stones – We are One

Sunstreaker:

Thousand Foot Krutch – Courtesy Call

Sideswipe:

Fall Out Boy – Centuries

Shay:

Zach Hemsey – Fade Away

Slash Ft. Miles Kennedy – Bent to Fly


	32. Bonus Snippet

Bonus snippet:

**Dust Devils, Speed Demons, and Saturdays**

Modified weapons, loud music, and vehicons who have no clue what they're doing. The Twins have a good day. (TFPverse)

.

.

.

Saturdays were one of the best days of the week. It meant freedom to do whatever you wanted with no time constraints and adventurous plans to fill the time from lazy morning to late evening. With the windows rolled down and a hot wind tugging at her bandana, Shay Carpenter was greatly enjoying the day.

Even though they were being chased across the desert by nearly twenty vehicons.

"Persistent glitches, aren't they?" Sideswipe snicked through the speaker. At nearly two-hundred miles an hour, the landscape was whizzing by in a blur. The human in his driver's seat checked the mirror again and noted with some satisfaction that the Decepticons were having trouble catching up to the Twin's faster engines.

"I could say the same thing about you." She muttered, much to the red warriors chagrin. An offended 'Hey!' replied. Gunning forward a bit, Sunstreaker nearly jostled his brother's bumper.

Not the least concerned about their pursuers, the lamborghini snarked through his twin's radio, "It's true and you know it."

Sideswipe sputtered,"Why do you always take her side against me?"

"I do not."

"Alright boys, focus on the issue." The woman tapped his dashboard, "Any plans or is it just: drive until we get bored and then turn around to fight?"

"I want to know how all of them tracked our location." Sunstreaker grumbled, not the least bit happy about all the dust clinging to his finish. Swerving around a large plateau, the sports cars skidded into a dry gulch. The human bounced in her seat as they raced over uneven ground. Gritting her teeth, she growled.

"Oh I don't know. Maybe it was the fact that you _blew up an energon mine_! Anyone with working sensors on the planet would have noticed."

Her ride huffed and blasted her with the air conditioner. Indignant, the woman slapped at his steering wheel for the rudeness, inadvertently setting off a brief shrill of his car alarm. Sideswipe tried to plead less guilty to her scathing look, "We didn't blow it up. Some stupid con with a lousy shot hit the energon. We just... helped it along."

"With grenades." Shay crossed her arms, not taking any of his crap. They shot out the other end of the gulch. "Honestly, I'm surprised more people haven't shown... up..."

A small group of vehicons stood, blasters aimed and ready, in front of them.

While the Autobots slowed to a halt, the pursuers behind also stopped and waited. Sunstreaker pulled up to his brother's left side and revved his engines in a challenge before hissing at Shay. "You had to say it."

"Alright, that was completely my fault. I'm sorry." The woman sighed and moved her head closer to the open window to get a better look at the stand off. "Are you going to give them a warning?"

"I am not giving them a warning. If they're stupid enough to chase us, that's their fault." Sunny growled.

Sideswipe rumbled at his passenger, ignoring the Decepticons who were growing fidgety as the Twins didn't move, "Why are we giving a warning?"

"Because you are Autobot warriors who are nice enough to warn the Decepticons of their impending demise."

"I love it when you say things like that. 'Impending demise'. Sounds like a villain thing." He replied cheerily.

Rolling her eyes, Shay unbuckled and leaned out the window so the Cons could see her, "Hey! This is your only warning. Leave now and maybe you'll live." Glancing at one another, the purple and black mechs shrugged. As expected, they started to chortle and snicker to themselves. And why would they be worried? They outnumbered the Autobots twenty-five to two. The golden lambo snorted in derision. Sighing, the woman snapped, "Alright. I warned you."

With that she settled in the seat and grabbed a strange gun from the back seats. It looked like a cross between a sniper rifle and a Cybertronian's blaster but someone had gone a little nuts in the process of mashing them together. Although not pleasant looking, the clunky item worked just fine. Shay set the gun in her lap and aimed the barrel towards the side window.

"So, now that we're done being 'nice' and all..." Sideswipe purred. Rolling her eyes, she lightly flicked his steering wheel.

"Shut up and drive."

Apparently growing bored of their sassing, Sunstreaker roared forward to crash head-on with the enemy. Sideswipe hit the gas with a gleeful holler and started ramming the cons who were unfortunate enough to be standing. At least the ones still in altmode could pull out of the way quicker. What had started as a chase was now a dirt battle of running each other over.

Shouts, screeches, and blaster fire was all overshadowed by a song blasting out of the red hellion's radio, '_Now shut up and drive (drive drive drive), shut up and drive (drive drive drive)!'_

"No! Change the song you idiot!" Shay lifted a boot-clad foot to slam a kick into his dashboard which left the bot cackling in glee and amusement. Flipping to another beat, new lyrics rang from the speakers accompanied by guitar and heavy drums.

'_Give me the wheel_

_So we can move a little faster_

_I'll make it real_

_I'm not a glorious disaster_

_What part of living says you gotta die?_

_I plan on burning through another nine lives_

_One more for measure, that's ten for the soul_

_That never sleeps so are you ready to gooooooo?!'_

It was rapid paced chaos. Shay had been correct in the fact that anyone with sensors had picked up the spike in energy and would be coming to investigate. When the Autobots stepped out of the ground bridge, they were faced with howling and roaring engines, dust clouds stirred up too many wheels on dry dirt, and what may have been rock music that added to the din and noise. They could see a red mech spinning donuts around the unfortunate Cons, and a golden twin of the other knocking people down before running them over. He fishtailed, clipped one vehicon and sent the mech spinning out of control to smash into a rock wall. Hanging out of the red lambo's window, a human shot at any Decepticon that was in sight.

'_Bloodshot against the clear blue sky_

_Tick tock I think the well is runnin' dry_

_My my, I can't lie_

_I need that shot again, that sweet adrenaline_

_Dead scared 'cause I'm fearless in the head_

_Bang bang 'cause the needle's in the red _

_My my, I can't lie_

_I need that shot again, that sweet adrenaline'_

"Should we help?" Arcee questioned, as Optimus looked on the tumult.

The leader shook his helm, "They seem to be doing fine on their own." He still kept his blaster out and at the ready as the smarter vehicons took off while they could and the fight wound down. A few fell to the human's modified sniper rifle and eventually it grew quiet. Engines purring, the now scratched, dented, and dirt covered bots pulled up to the others. The human hopped out, still carrying the gun, while red and yellow transformed.

"Hiya OP! We picked up a human by the way. She's with us." Sideswipe saluted with a grin. His brother nodded at the Prime in greeting. The woman at their feet studied the bots up and down with hard eyes but made no greeting.

Ratchet groaned and put his servos on his hips, "You two. Just what we need."

"Aww, aren't you happy to see us Doc?" Pulled the startled medic into a hug, the red mech was shoved off with a growl while Arcee and Bulkhead stared in confusion.

"No. You're are the bane of my existence! I swear to Primus that if you mess with the limited amount of tools I have on this planet-" The rant was cut off as Sunstreaker leaned an elbow on the shorter bot and soothed with a charming smile. Everyone always forgot that he could be just as persuasive as his brother.

"We won't mess with your tools. Who else will patch us up?"

A solemn 'ahem!' drew everyone's attention to the woman on the ground, "On that note, they need repairs. You are a medic I believe, they mentioned you quite a lot. It is Hatchet, isn't it?"

Optimus coughed to hide a laugh while the other Autobots stared in horror. Puffing up in rage, the orange and white ambulance's expression froze. One optic twitched. In a low and dangerous tone, he asked, "_What_ did you just call me?"

"Did I get your name wrong?" Shay tightened her grip on the weapon and shifted closer to Sideswipe. "I was told it was Hatchet."

"It is Ratchet. My name is Ratchet. Do not call me HATCHET!" The medic snarled, "You two are dead mechs. I am reformatting you both into toaster ovens!" Unfortunately for him, the lambos were not well versed in all of earth's culture quiet yet, so the threat didn't have quiet the impact he was hoping for.

The Twins glanced at each other before the one grinning like a madman stage whispered to the human, "What's a toaster oven?"

"A small metal box that cooks food." At their horrified look she continued, "And you two are both in trouble. You told me the wrong name on purpose! I do apologize Ratchet. It was not my intent to insult or mock you." Shay nodded gravely at the irate medic. Ratchet stared back with a wary look and narrowed his optics at the Twins.

"I'm surprised. You have a polite human."

Offended at being talked about like she wasn't there, Shay drew herself up proper and kept a polite affable tone while openly glaring. "But if you reformat them, then I will remove your medical tools and hide them. The Twins are mine. Who else is going to play Need for Speed with me?"

Glowering, the medic sighed, "_Of course_ you two have a human like that."

Bulkhead could see the brewing argument and not so subtly jumped in, "Uh, that was a Pit of a fight. Those cons didn't stand a chance."

"We gave them a warning." Sunstreaker rumbled, thinking that the green ex-wrecker was poking at their brutality in battle. Much to the surprise of the others Sideswipe fell to the ground howling in laughter while the woman scowled at the golden frontliner, eyes trying to melt him where he stood. Optimus sighed.

"Let us return to base. It is good to have you here. Bumblebee will be quite excited."

As the ground bridge opened, Sideswipe picked up Shay and subspaced the gun. He cheered, "Yay! Bee's here! This is gonna be awesome!"

"This is going to be interesting." Arcee muttered quietly.

"Indeed." Agreed the human, sitting in the lambo's servos. They all stepped through the bridge. "I'm warning you now, things are going to be different. Nothing stays peaceful when these two are about."

Sunstreaker, one of the last to go through, glanced back at the torn up ground, rising plateaus and cerulean sky before heading into the vortex. It closed in a swirl of blue and greens, leaving silence in the wake of the dust devil Twins. Life for the Autobots and Decepticons had just turned exciting.


End file.
